By Kyle Horne
Last Sunday, Holly Humberstone made her return to Scotland’s stages with a performance at the Old Fruitmarket, in Glasgow, to much applause. The historic 198-year-old venue was the perfect place for Humberstone to kick off her mini tour around the UK, who has long sported a dark, gothic aesthetic. The singer performed some of her biggest hits alongside unreleased new tracks, taken from her sophomore album Cruel World, due for release later this month.
Opening the show was Geordie singer-songwriter Heidi Curtis, who, although being in the music scene for quite some time, released her debut single Undone at the end of last year, through independent label AWAL.
Heidi began her set with Hollow Heart, a dark folk track fuelled by guitar and bass. Her vocals were strong, particularly during difficult riffs and melodies. There’s a bit of a country twang to her music and her voice, and a bit of rock, which created quite the unique sound.
The singer had the crowd in the palms of her hands, as they stood listening attentively. She complimented them: “You’re a very wonderful and polite crowd, oh my god!”, and of course, complimenting the Old Fruitmarket to a bunch of Glaswegians definitely got them on her side.
With her debut EP, Hollow Heart, due for release on the 24th May, there are big things coming for Heidi this year.
And with that, there was only one more act left to take the stage, that being the effortlessly brilliant Holly Humberstone.
Welcoming her to the stage was a clock striking, almost like a ‘welcome to the thirteenth hour’, before bass began to build, reverberating through the venue. Fans began screaming in the crowd as they knew they would be seconds from seeing Humberstone again, the singer having not returned to Glasgow since 2022, albeit performing in Edinburgh two years ago.
Accompanying her was her well thought out set design, using objects from the Cruel World music video, released early last month. Her stage was set up like a graveyard scene, with tall gravestones, and a castle in the background, featuring Holly’s name written on the entrance. Despite the deathly imagery, the scene was enchanting, with trees made of foil, lit by orbs of golden light during intimate tracks, leaving the crowd mesmerised.
Holly kicked off her set with Make It All Better, the opener (after the introduction So It Starts…) of her brand-new album Cruel World. Dates on this mini tour prepare fans for the release, giving them a sneak peek into new songs Humberstone has written during her time away from the spotlight. “This is our first show back after a really long time!” Holly exclaimed.
Make It All Better started bare, with a looping synth, but was later filled with drums, bass, guitar, and other anthemic sounds, building to create an upbeat track, that is sure to become a firm fan-favourite when it is released.
One thing that stood out instantly was Holly’s confidence, ‘How you doing Glasgow?!’ she shouted to the crowd mid-song, while smiling gleefully. It’s clear that after some time away to find herself again, she’s fallen back in love with music, and her excitement on the night solidified that.
She then dived straight into To Love Somebody, with the familiar opening harmonies ringing through the venue. During the bridge, the crowd became the backing vocalists (‘It all breaks down. It always does. It all works out. It always does’) creating one big sing-along.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a Holly Humberstone gig without hit track The Walls Are Way Too Thin, a song most of the crowd initially met Holly through, leading to her winning the BRITs Rising Star Award shortly after its release.
Holly broke up her set with funny, relatable talking moments and of course, new tracks: “You guys! Thank you so much for being here. This is my first full band headline show in years. I’m mostly sh**ting myself, but you guys brought a great vibe!”
“I’m gonna play some new ones from the album, and some older ones too.”
The singer introduced brand new track Blue Dream which had its live debut this night. In the song, Holly fantasises about her boyfriend with the refrain ‘Won’t you be my blue dream?’. It’s easy-going and is likely to be a favourite among Holly’s fans who find themselves in relationships.
The crowd were loving every minute of the show, with exceptionally enthusiastic fans in the front row swaying their arms during Die Happy.
As this was Holly’s first major show back with her full band, she decided to commemorate the moment by performing the first ever track she released, Deep End. Holly reflected on the release, remembering being at home during lockdown when it premiered. A mirrorball on the ceiling of the venue projected little bursts of light around the room, making it all the more intimate.
But one of the true highlights of the night came during Beauty Pageant, the last track on the new album. It’s incredibly personal and is enough to reduce you to tears. It’s a hauntingly beautiful piano ballad about Holly’s struggle with fame, feeling like she was never enough: “I’ll strike a pose, I’m ready. Come on and make me pretty.”
Other lyrics mention “I’ll wear a dress I can’t afford. ‘You’re not in the Midlands anymore’ I click my heels and wish for home.” She references her quick rise to fame, and the double standards of being a woman in the industry, that they must always be seen as ‘pretty’ to be considered relevant, while historically the industry has been run by men, who often tell her ‘You’re gonna crush it “sweetie pie”.’
Holly proved herself here as not only a fearless songwriter but also a fantastic performer, as she managed to bring the energy right back up, finishing her set with Scarlett, before returning for an astonishing encore and culminating on Dive.
Overall, after some time away, Holly Humberstone is now ready to enter her brand-new era – her most authentic era yet, and it all starts with Cruel World, releasing on Friday 10th April. I’m sure I can speak for all of us Scots when I say that we cannot wait to welcome her back for her album tour when it gets announced later this year.
Photography & Text Copyright 2026 © Kyle Horne/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Alisha Lawton 
Alexandra Pullen