By Kyle Horne
Earlier last month, the internet’s favourite Messy popstar – Lola Young – kicked off her intimate record store tour, with the first stop being a sold-out gig at Nottingham’s The Level.
Doors opened promptly at 6.30pm, with eager fans queuing up the street – all desperate to secure that barrier spot. It wasn’t long before the venue started to fill up, with some opting for the upstairs balcony as opposed to the chaos of the pit fans were soon to dance in.
Lola Young took the stage shortly after doors, sporting a pair of baggy denim jeans, a cropped shirt, and a vibrant collage-style bomber jacket, plastered with sexually provocative imagery – an interesting choice, but certainly apt considering the sexual undertones explored in Young’s new album I’m Only F**king Myself.
The 25-year-old vocal powerhouse kicked off her set with F**K EVERYONE, a boisterous yet vulnerable and honest track about her sexual pastimes. The track could – to some degree – be considered less liberating and more self-sabotaging (‘I just wanna f**k guys who don’t like me’), though it’s Young’s honesty that sets her apart from other artists – she doesn’t shy away from difficult or uncomfortable topics – a feat that has made her extremely popular online, especially in today’s digital, desensitised, and filtered world.
Lola performed many new tunes from her third album, including the gut-wrenching Penny Out of Nothing (‘I’ll make him think that I’m fine when I’m not / I don’t wanna, I don’t wanna cry’) and CAN WE IGNORE IT? :(, a drum-heavy, rock-infused track that showcased the sheer power in her vocals, and how she’s able to use them as a tool to engage with the audience and deliver such an emotional performance.
Contrary to what you may believe, especially considering Lola’s devastating stage collapse at All Things Go Festival, the South Londoner engaged with her crowd perfectly, and was fully in her element – being expressive with her hands, moving energetically around the stage – inviting her fans into this new sonic world she’s created.
Post Sex Clarity was definitely a highlight. Placed near the middle of her set, the anthem quickly became a favourite among fans, who, despite the song being entirely unreleased at this point, sang the words back to Lola as if it had been on their playlists for months.
The pop sensation’s set came to an eventual end – but not without a party.
Lola performed her top hits from this year back-to-back – One Thing and Not Like That Anymore – with so much punch, before culminating on the mega-viral hit Messy, where the star invited a fan on stage to sing with her – a truly heart-warming moment.
If anything, despite being a little Messy, Lola Young has proved she’s destined for this. She owned that stage in Nottingham with boundless confidence like no other, performing self-penned hits in front of her animated crowd who savoured every moment.
It’s devastating that this was one of the two record store shows Young managed to perform before inevitably cancelling all touring plans due to her stage incident, but if this show was anything to go by, with a little rest, Lola will soon be on top form, back at it again – and we can’t wait to welcome her back.
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Kyle Horne/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Emma Turner