Chloe Star @ The Grace - 30.05.26
- Sam McNaughton
- May 31
- 2 min read
Alt-pop rocker shows her undeniable star power
In the confines of The Grace in North London, with the streets awash with football fans in all directions, an alcove of alternative music lovers was treated to a night of pulse-pounding performances and an unforgettable headline set from Chloe Star.
Starting the evening was Vanes, a singer-songwriter who has already amassed millions of streams with songs such as "Kiss Me Slow" and "Cherry Red". Her performance was an exceptional blend of delicately smoky vocals with a backing of dark synths and powerful beats.
With a shockingly quick turnaround, the next act ROM-1 was ready to emerge on stage. Clad in rave-esque gear, he was perfectly attired for the high temperatures of the venue. Immediately capturing the audience with his club-infused pop songs such as "Haymaker", delivered thoroughly kinetic performances which transformed the stage into a strobe-lit nightclub.
With the crowd in thoroughly good spirits from the stellar support, there was palpable excitement for tonight's headliner, Chloe Star. Oozing a well-deserved aura of cool, her music firmly sits in the alt space while also delivering anthemic choruses and tight songwriting. She later said her band had only had two days to learn the set, but that was never felt for a second as they confidently strode through a set which spanned pop-punk, ballads and themes of love and loss.
Highlights of the set like "Emergency Contact" showed the ability of Star to wirte songs that elicit mass sing-alongs from her devoted fans as they danced and revelled. Star's latest single, "Fairytale", became a distraught power ballad (complete with wailing guitar solo) that left the crowd shaken. A surprise in the form of a pop-punk cover of Justin Bieber's "One Less Lonely Girl" delighted the audience and showed the diverse musical tastes that help form Star's unique sound.
Ending with an encore that repeated the rocker "Call You Back" was a final catharsis of the night. As Star delivered an emotive performance and from the stage repeatedly thanked everyone who made the night possible before taking an extensive post-show undertaking of saying thank you to every fan that attended.
