WORDS AND IMAGES GOSIA CZYZNIEWSKA
On a typically rainy Manchester night, the city truly lived up to its “Rainy City” nickname as I headed to Manchester Academy 3 for an evening with Scottish singer-songwriter Nina Nesbitt. Inside, the atmosphere was far from gloomy.
But first to the stage was Katie Gregson-MacLeod who set about charming the audience with her humor, and down-to-earth personality. From the moment she stepped on stage, her warm and playful energy was contagious, instantly winning the crowd over. McLeod’s ability to mix deep, soulful music with lighthearted banter made her set as engaging as it was moving.
Right from the start, Katie had the audience laughing, welcoming everyone with witty jokes. When one audience member’s view was obstructed by a scarf wrapped around her microphone stand, she took the time to apologize with genuine concern, handling the situation with grace and humor.
One of the standout moments of her set came when she shared the backstory behind two of her songs. Both tracks were about the same person, but as she explained with a smile, the first one was written during a more graceful period, while the other was hilariously petty, showing the evolution of her emotions. She even joked that she might have to change the lyrics in one of them to avoid getting sued.
Musically, McLeod’s set was a beautifully stripped-back acoustic affair, alternating between piano and guitar. Her voice carried the raw emotion of each song effortlessly, filling the room with a warmth. The intimacy of the acoustic format allowed her lyrics to shine, making every word feel personal and relatable.
Katie also gave Manchester a shout-out, telling the crowd, “Lovely to be here—I love playing in Manchester,” before cheekily adding that, since she’s from Edinburgh, she considers it to be part of the “real north.”
The highlight of her set was undoubtedly her TikTok viral hit, “Complex”. It was a perfect way to end her time on stage, with the crowd clearly responding to the song. In a charmingly candid moment, her phone alarm audibly went off towards the end of her set—a reminder she’d set to ensure she didn’t overrun her time. The audience laughed, enjoying yet another glimpse into Katie McLeod’s refreshingly relatable and quirky personality.
Overall, Katie McLeod delivered a performance that was thoroughly entertaining, leaving the Manchester crowd smiling and excited for more.
Then it was time for the Scottish singer/songwriter. Nina took the stage dressed in a cozy woolen jumper, skirt, and patent burgundy pumps, perfectly matching the warm, autumnal aesthetic that enveloped the stage. Bathed in golden and orange light, the set was adorned with woolen scarves, russet leaves, fir branches, pine cones, and fairy lights—a nostalgic invitation to lean into the season, just as Nina had promised.
Opening the evening, Nina welcomed the audience with her signature blend of humor and melancholy, jokingly warning us that we might leave a little sadder than we arrived. Still, the crowd seemed more than happy to embrace the introspective vibe.
One of the evening’s highlights was “Painkiller”, a powerful song about men who struggle to express their emotions and turn to substances for comfort. Nina shared how, with age, she’s come to understand that everyone has their coping mechanisms—hers being batch cooking and keeping exhaustingly busy. The audience chuckled as she poked fun at herself, balancing the seriousness of the song’s theme with her relatable humor.
Throughout the night, Nina’s charismatic stage presence and witty banter made her feel more like an old friend than a pop star. She quipped about the endless guitar changes, explaining that she thought it would be “fun” to write an album in different tunings. A shoutout to her keyboardist Dan, who handled the transitions with impressive skill, earned a round of applause from the audience.
The energy lifted during “Big Things, Small Town”, when Nina asked the audience to shout out where they were from, humorously vetoing North Wales as a village. In a moment of spontaneity, she even changed the lyrics of the song to include North Wales, which the crowd loved. Manchester holds a special place in Nina’s heart—she played her first gig there in 2011—and she delighted the audience by improvising a new verse just for the city, celebrating Manchester’s football, iconic music history, and renowned curry scene.
‘there is Man City,
there is Man U,
there’s the Oasis gig that tried to bankrupt you,
its renowned for its curry,
and bees buzzing round,
and it’s got the best gigs in town!’
Her clever rhymes had the audience cheering and laughing.
Another standout moment came during “Maison”, a song she wrote for a friend stuck in a “situationship.” With playful seriousness, she declared that if anyone needed a sign to leave their own complicated relationship, “This is it! You are all mansions, just so you know.” Her ability to mix vulnerability with empowerment gave the song an extra layer of meaning.
In between songs, Nina often invited the audience to sing along, and her witty commentary kept the mood lighthearted. At one point, she staged a “best dressed” competition, rewarding a lucky fan with a T-shirt that read, “I won the best dressed at Nina Nesbitt’s Mountain Music tour,”.
True to her charm, Nina joked about the expected concert encore routine: “I’ll pretend it’s my last song, go off, and you’ll ask for one more. Then I’ll come back and say, ‘Oh my God, thank you guys!’ So, let’s do this!” The audience played along with gusto, and when she returned for the encore, the warmth in the room was palpable.
The night’s encore began with a mix-up, as Nina headed to the piano before realizing she needed to switch to the guitar instead. The audience cheered her on, enjoying the candid moment. She closed the show with “Last December”, proudly sharing that it had become one of Taylor Swift’s favorite songs, which she joked would be a highlight on her gravestone.
Before leaving the stage, Nina took a quick video with the audience, ending the night on a high note. She made sure to thank her band, sound techs, and fans, also giving a heartfelt shoutout to her support act, Katie McLeod, whom she praised as “the Joni Mitchell of our generation.”
Nina Nesbitt delivered a magical evening filled with warm autumnal vibes, bittersweet nostalgia, and a lot of heart. Her blend of wit, charm, and emotional depth made the concert an unforgettable experience for everyone who braved the Manchester rain to be there.
SET LIST
1/ The Apple Tree
2/ Pages
3/ On The Run
4/ Angers
5/ Painkiller
6/ Treachery
7/ Hard Times
8/ Big Things, Small Town
9/ Mansion
10/ Parachute
11/ What will make Me Great
12/ Alchemise
13/ Last December
14/ Best You had
15/ I’m Coming Home
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