Sienna Spiro performed two intimate shows at Manchester's Albert Hall on Sunday, August 23, celebrating the launch of her debut album Visitor. The 1,900-capacity venue hosted the rising star twice in one evening, at 4pm and 7pm, just a day after she appeared at a festival in London.
A smaller stage for a rising star
The humble capacity of Albert Hall is likely a much smaller crowd than Spiro has become used to over the last month, after appearing on stages at festivals including Lollapalooza in Chicago, Outside Lands in San Francisco, and All Points East in London. Born in London in 2005, the now 20-year-old singer-songwriter has been writing music from as young as 10, but her momentum grew when she started posting singing videos on TikTok in 2021. She released her first hit Need Me followed by Maybe in 2024.
On Sunday evening, Spiro took to the stage wearing a red baby doll dress and white heels to belt out the first song on her album, My House. She then performed We're Not In Love, before introducing herself and her band to the crowd.
Emotional moments and crowd favourites
“I am so excited to be back here,” she told the crowd. “Manchester is one of my favourite places to play a show in the whole world. I wanted to do these few shows to celebrate the album and be together before I come back next year and do a proper show. I released my debut album Visitor a few months ago now and I'm going to sing a few songs for you tonight.”
She then turned up the tempo for Material Lover, arguably her most widely known song after it featured in the recently released Devil Wears Prada 2 movie. This upbeat tune led even the most stubborn seated fans on their feet across the Albert Hall. Material Lover was followed by You Stole The Show, which she belted while sat behind a piano with her pianist and long-time friend with whom she wrote the song.
She then launched into Not My Baby I'm His, which tells the story of a previous relationship with a man double her age. Then it was time for Pure, which she prefaced with a courageous introduction about why it is a hard song for her to sing.
A setlist that left fans wanting more
“When I was writing this song I was in a really weird, dark place,” she admitted. “I was in a bit of a depression, a depression where you feel quite numb. I was finding it hard to feel. And I had to admit a lot of things to myself so I could move forwards with my life. It is a really hard song to sing every night. I cried the other day, which might have just been my period,” which won some laughs from the crowd. She continued: “It has blown me away the way you guys have received this song. Getting to stand on stage and hear you sing it back to me has been so unbelievable and I can't thank you enough.”
Inside Manchester's Albert Hall, the feeling in the room was palpable; hearing thousands of fans scream-sing the words to Great Expectations while leaving Spiro looking somewhat shell shocked on stage is a feeling not easily forgotten. She also sung Mono No Aware, which she told the crowd was her first “proper jazz song”, before she finished with Die On This Hill. It felt slightly unbelievable that Spiro left the stage and ended the gig without singing Visitor, being the name of her new album. But it seems that the rising sensation just wanted to give her fans a teaser of what's to come in her tour next year, and left us all wanting more.
The setlist at Manchester Albert Hall was: My House, We're Not in Love, Material Lover, You Stole The Show, Not My Baby I'm His, Pure, Mono No Aware, and Die On This Hill.
