Zuzu // Manchester Deaf Institute

Artist: Zuzu

Venue: Deaf Institute

Capacity: 260

Date: 13/12/21

Merseyside's latest rising star led a stellar performance at Manchester's Deaf Institute, with a set-list jam-packed with tracks old and new. 

Zuzu, after receiving critical acclaim with her debut full-length offering 'Queensway Tunnel', bounced onto the iconic Manchester stage to deliver the show of a lifetime.

Met with a crowd of roaring fans, the self-described 'Angry scouse girl''s effervescent pop-stylings translated perfectly into her boppy live performance, delivering the heartfelt 'My Old Life' with soft introspections and the self-realisations of 'Lie To Myself' in an unfaultable manner. Slipping from ballad to pop-infused cuts, Zuzu's effortless deliverance of emotion-filled tracks staples her as one of the best live acts to come out of Merseyside of late.

Announcing she'd be playing early single 'Skin And Bone', the crowd responded with intermittent screams and cheers before joining in with belting along the lyrics.

Getting involved with the festive spirit, Zuzu lent a rendition of her holiday-oriented track 'Distant Christmas', before slipping into the nostalgia-filled cut of 'All Good'.

Rounding off the set with the title track of her recent LP, Zuzu captivates and commands attention with her pleading vocalisations and emotion-driven execution.

In our interview with Zuzu, she divulged the reasoning of the album's title, "The Queensway Tunnel is iconic. Being from Birkenhead, that’s the tunnel I drive through to get to Liverpool. It was a really big deal when it was opened. Nothing like that had ever been done before. People died making it. It winds and the oncoming traffic can be scary. The panelling outside is hypnotic. I find it so mesmerising and inspiring. It’s even been used for films like Harry Potter!"

If Zuzu is ever heading to a venue near you, make sure to head on down.

Setlist:

Timing

Beauty Queen

Lie To Myself

Skin And Bone

Never Again

Get Off

My Old Life

Toaster

Bevy Head

The Van Is Evil

Distant Christmas

All Good

Endlessly Yours

Queensway Tunnel

Lana Williams

@swimdeeplana

Interview: Sarah Taylor

Image: Google Creative Commons