She might have been the last Little Mix-member to mobilise post-hiatus, but Jade Thirlwall’s second act has proven more than worth the wait. Eschewing all the usual solo career cliches, September’s top-three debut That’s Showbiz Baby! served as a winningly maximalist introduction, seeing the South Shields singer perfectly balancing playfulness and vulnerability across a slew of stunning pop hits and should-be smashes.
The same goes for Thirlwall’s first solo UK headline tour, which hit Camden’s Roundhouse like a hurricane on its penultimate night. Channelling her extensive arena experience, the 32-year-old brought cabaret-inspired sass, brilliantly camp choreo and diva-worthy vocals to the 5000-cap venue, watched over by former band mates Leigh-Anne Pinnock and Perrie Edwards, as well as returning star Lily Allen.
Flanked by two dancers carrying giant maribou-covered fans and teasing her entrance from behind a miniature, Moulin Rouge-style curtain, a catsuit-clad Thirlwall opened with the Gaga-esque electro of FUFN (Fuck You For Now), before taking to the podium for Headache, her drummer on one side and a multi-instrumentalist on the other. For the Supremes-interpolating Before You Break My Heart, she faced the wind machines with admirable gusto in an oversized tinsel jacket, its silver lamé train connecting her to her dancers.
As was always the case in Little Mix, Thirlwall's charm lies both in her significant vocal talents and her disarming relatability. The disco one-two of Unconditional and Fantasy was dedicated to her mother and her LGBTQ+ fans respectively, while Self Saboteur saw her showboating over the audience’s vocal harmonies. Ever the crowd-pleaser, she even delivered a pumping, clubland-style version of Madonna’s Frozen which segued into 90s rave anthem Set You Free by N Trance – albeit at the expense of full-length runthroughs of Midnight Cowboy, IT GIrl and Confidence Man-collaboration Gossip.
For the encore, Thirlwall pulled a Rachel Zegler, emerging on the balcony to deliver a stunning rendition of Raye co-write Slow Dance. Returning to the stage in a red veil shortly after, an X Factor-style voiceover boomed out over the PA, “Jade, do you take the music industry as your ball and chain?” Demurely replying “I do”, she launched into her breakthrough single Angel Of My Dreams. A wild, genre-mashing epic examining the toxicity of the music industry and her messed-up love affair with it, it served as a triumphant reminder that the very best pop music is made by the artists that love it the most.
