Few would know who you were referring to if you asked them about Louisa Rose Allen, though she is set to become a household name under the auspices of her Foxes pseudonym. On the 7th night of her UK tour the 24-year old delivered a dazzling performance at Manchester’s The Ruby Lounge, the likes of which will no doubt propel her to stardom in the not too distant future.
Best known for Clarity, her 2013 collaboration with German DJ/Producer Zedd, Allen is yet to release her debut album. Though if the material delivered on the night is anything to go by, the track will not be her biggest hit for much longer. Opening with Talking To Ghosts, Allen exhibited the brand of electro pop which has led to the development of a burgeoning fan base, both at home and further afield. The lead track of her debut album, set to be released in May of this year, was followed by White Coats, which was well received by the 400 strong crowd. Continuing the performance of tracks from her forthcoming LP, Allen launched into Night Owls Early Birds, haring round the stage in front of an adoring audience. The fledgling pop star’s next serenade proved to be Youth, a track many readers may recognise from last year’s Designers At Debenhams advert, if they haven’t heard it on the likes of Radio 1 of course. The single, first released in 2011, proved a highlight on the night as many of the audience were in good voice, joining in with Allen on the chorus in particular.
Following on from the track which reached a peak of 12th in the UK Singles Chart, the young songstress gave another glimpse of what can be expected from her forthcoming album. Echo was delivered with the same verve and vigour as the rest of the hour long set, as Allen displayed the kind of enthusiasm you’d expect from an artist that’s referred to her career as a dream come true. Directly after the impressive rendition of Echo came the title track from Allen’s May release, Glorious. The track marked the halfway stage on the night, though there were no signs of letting up as the singer bound her way to a scintillating finale.
To much of the crowd’s surprise, Allen subsequently embarked upon a sojourn which saw her mix two hits from outside of her seemingly designated genre. Fusing Eminem’s The Monster with Drake’s Hold On, We’re Going Home, the singer perhaps drifted too far from her comfort zone, though there were no obvious complaints from the rest of the audience.Resorting back to her own material, Allen belted out Holding Onto Heaven to much greater effect. The track saw a return to the high of Youth and proceeded the kind of artist-audience interaction that is just not possible at larger venues, as the singer posed for photos with members of the front row.
As previously mentioned, the artist is best known for her work with Zedd to produce Clarity, and Allen performed a stripped down version of the track the pair won “Best Dance Recording” for at the 2014 Grammy Awards. This live version will feature on the deluxe edition of Glorious and, whilst it will have to go some way to surpass the position of 8th that the original reached in the US Billboard Top 100 chart, it delighted the Manchester crowd.
Following on from the revised rendition of her 2013 smash hit, Allen delivered Beauty Queen with aplomb, a song which will feature on the same deluxe edition of her debut album. Finishing the initial set, Allen and her two accompanying musicians performed the track she with which she has had the most success in the UK to date. Last week, the 24-year old performed a cover of Pharrell William’s Happy in the Radio 1 Live Lounge, as well as her own single Let Go For Tonight, which had ranked 7th in the previous week’s chart. With this track Allen bid farewell to the crowd, though there was more to come from the up and coming star. After calls from the audience for Allen to return for an encore, the singer re-emerged from the shadows to perform her collaboration with Rudimental, Right Here. The singer’s enjoyment was clear for all to see as she delivered a performance worthy of ending any show.
With a sell-out concert to perform in Dublin before she finishes the first leg of her UK tour, prior to a four date stint in Europe, Allen has much to live up to following her Manchester show. However, one wouldn’t bet against the young starlet repeating the feat and going on to wow audiences with her immense talents, even if they don’t quite recall her real name.
