Mahalia, Becca Hatch @ Lion Arts Factory, Adelaide 2/5/2024
The Lion Arts Factory in Adelaide’s CBD welcomed the immensely talented Mahalia last night, and what a stunning performance it was. The turnout was spectacular for the British R&B singer-songwriter, who had celebrated her twenty sixth birthday just one day prior, with people from all corners of the world coming together to watch.
Before Mahalia took centre stage, we were introduced to Aussie talent, Becca Hatch, who lifted the atmosphere early on with her unique R&B and dance/drum and bass tracks. Her sound was almost giving UK Garage/underground vibes, pushing the boundaries of mainstream music by blending genres. She was nostalgically taking me back to my London roots. Becca and her DJ, Nicole, loosened up the crowd as they declared there were ‘no stiff necks allowed’ at their shows. Becca’s vocals were as smooth as butter, as were her moves – there’s no doubt she was the perfect fit to support the show.
After a short interval for the band to set up, out came the powerful, soulful Mahalia. Busting out of the left wing in double denim and a white tee, the Leicester-born R&B sensation performed her very fitting smash Ready, and that she was. Ensuring that the energy stayed put, she went straight into her absolute bop Simmer featuring Burna Boy. If you weren’t moving before, you certainly were after this banger.
With the crowd well and truly warmed up, Mahalia took a breath, a sip of tea (how very British of her) and started to converse with everyone like old friends catching up at the pub. Between each song she took us on a special journey, shedding light on how she wrote her hits and letting us in on her most intimate thoughts. There was talk of heartbreak, therapy and breaking free of that small-town mentality to achieve your dreams. This sealed the show as unexpectedly inspiring and a wildly fun adventure.
The bangers kept on coming as she performed new music from her 2023 IRL album, such as In My Bag, Cheat featuring JoJo and my all-time favourite Terms and Conditions. Her vocals were flawless and effortless, and her dance moves never missed a beat. Mahalia promised we’d hear her classics, even though we were there for the IRL tour, admitting she ‘can’t stand it’ when she goes to see her favourite artists and they only play their newest releases. She stayed true to her promise. We were treated to plenty of older hits such as Do Not Disturb and What You Did featuring Ella Mai.
Mahalia wrapped up the show with one of her most popular anthems from 2018, I Wish I Missed My Ex, which had everyone singing along for one last time. As she thanked the crowd for their love and support and prayed that we all get home safely, she whipped her denim jacket off and took a moment to mention (in her true, thinking out loud style) that no matter what anyone says, women never need to wear a bra. Preach.
After comforting us that she’ll be back soon, I think I can speak for everyone when I say that as soon as she exited the stage we already missed her. Don’t leave it too long, sis.
Don’t sleep on this one, this show is an absolute must-see! Mahalia is heading to Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane for the last leg of her Australian tour this May.
Live Review By Mia Hole