Maisie peters @ the assembly rooms

By Mia Romanoff

Entering Edinburgh’s Assembly Rooms to see Maisie Peters, I could feel the giddy energy from the legions of girls streaming into the venue. They moved in packs; taking pictures, lining up for drinks, and whisper-screaming to each other about the upcoming performance. The building crowd was exactly like what one would picture for the budding star, who has recently toured with Ed Sheeran. Glancing around, I saw a sea of girls clad in brightly-coloured outfits. A few men were dotted around, clearly there to fulfil their duties as boyfriend or dad. A sense of sisterhood filled the room, as strangers passed compliments and belted the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s ‘Anti-Hero’ so loud it could be heard from the bathroom. Though the crowd energy was high, the venue clashed with the performances. The formal room, with its wood floors, chandelier, and large capacity placed the show in a limbo between stadium show and intimate gig. This strange environment was compounded by those who chose to skip the opener entirely, leaving a somewhat empty feeling in the room.

As the light peeked through the curtains of the giant windows, Cate took the stage. Despite the lack of intimacy, Cate pulled off a performance that invited the audience to be vulnerable in both their joy and sorrow. After singing two different songs about boys who play golf (speaking to my St Andrews soul), she finished her set with her viral hit, ‘Can’t Wait to be Pretty’.

After the opener, the room filled out and the energy on the floor picked up, transforming the space from a well-attended high school showcase to a perfect girls’ night out. Peters riled up the crowd with fan favourite ‘Body Better’, followed by ‘I’m Trying (Not Friends)’. These songs set the tone for the set: a woman scorned, but not angry. Despite the theme, tunes like ‘Cate’s Brother’ offered a sense of hope and ‘Not Another Rockstar’ provided some relatable self-deprecation. Every song built on the momentum of the previous track, keeping the screams going and the phones recording. A standout moment occurred following an incident in the crowd, when Peters whipped out a cover of Taylor Swift’s ‘Dear John’. Never before had I seen a room of people so united in their love for the work of an artist they hadn’t paid to see. Having satisfied the Swifties, the show picked up where it left off. To finish, Peters harkened back to the energy of the first few songs with ‘Lost the Breakup’, once again daring to turn her messy present into a hopeful future. In an attempt to unify all who had ever been crushed by young love, Peters shouted to the crowd that we “all won the breakup.” The audience’s intense reply signalled that, despite aims to shriek it into existence, we did not, in fact, all win the break up. Putting aside the suboptimal venue and disrespectful latecomers, the concert tapped into the fun and freedom of good pop music, and primed my friend and I for the best girls’ night out of the semester.