One of Dylan’s most popular songs may be titled ‘You’re not Harry Styles’ but, with the enthusiasm and passion that she and her awesome band brought to the stage, she may well end up being competition for him in the not-too-distant future.
During the final week of the ‘Rebel Child’ tour’s UK leg, Dylan rocked the Cambridge Corn Exchange, accompanied by support from soloist Catty and trio Say Now.
Sadly, I missed most of Catty’s performance (what can I say, Nando’s had a wait on food), but I caught the end and enjoyed her song ‘Maybe All the Rumours Are True’, I can really see myself shouting along to it in the shower.
Say Now provided an engaging performance with their use of gorgeous choreography, which I thought was a genius move for a support act who must work doubly hard to entertain an audience who may be unfamiliar with them. I can see these girls blowing up on the charts very soon, with my personal favourites from the setlist being ‘Netflix (Better Now Without You)’ and ‘S.I.N.G.L.E’.
For the main event, Dylan included all of her hits ranging from the belter ‘Girl of Your Dreams’, to the melancholy yet somehow uplifting ‘Every Heart But Mine’ and her newest single ‘The Alibi’, which she performed after reminding her fans of her gratuity for their role in her success, assuring us that, if we ever needed one, she’d be our alibi (whilst I appreciate the sentiment, I can’t help but feel like that’s a risky promise to make).
Dylan, who has previously supported Ed Sheeran on tour with her rich discography of pop-rock tracks, also performed two covers in this show.
Firstly, ‘Hourglass’ by Catfish and the Bottlemen, a departure from the setlist of the rest of the tour, in which she usually covers Taylor Swift’s ‘Out of the Woods’. Dylan spoke of her nervousness in covering this song for the first time but delivered what she described “as one of the greatest love songs” flawlessly to the crowd of swaying lights; this unexpected deviation making the experience all the more unique and meaningful for the audience.
The second cover was ‘Unholy’ by Sam Smith and Kim Petras. This took me slightly by surprise at first, but it turned out to be a stellar choice, with the sultry, dark and raspy vocals suiting Dylan’s persona and stage presence perfectly.
Finally, and aptly, Dylan closed the electric show with ‘Nothing Lasts Forever’, the catchy, singalong lyrics leaving fans on a high but also reminding us all to enjoy the moments we find ourselves in because, before we know it, times change, and experiences fade into memories.
In summary, the night was made memorable by the infectious energy of every performer who appeared on the stage, every act of the night is surely one to watch out for in 2024.