Haley @ Night & Day, Manchester, 29 Mar

What's in a name? Everything and nothing. Haley Bonar's recent decision to continue under her christian name alone was borne of both courage and pride. Her reasoning is inarguable, based on both lifelong irritation caused by name-calling dimwits and a more deeply felt allegiance to her Scottish grandfather's name (McCallum). She calls it "an act of peace."

It's unlikely this re-branding will stymie her broadening appeal. Tonight is her biggest Manchester show to date and the rest of the UK matches it for sold-out notices. In line with the artistic leap of 2016's Impossible Dream, you hope and suspect her commercial fortunes will continue to follow suit.

That album replaced the finespun folk-pop of Haley's previous work with a sharply re-drawn production aesthetic, one that brightened her soundboard, filling it with reverb and delay, and referencing an era focused on industrious hit-making rather than longform expression. More of everything and everything bigger, and her songwriting took full advantage.

Impossible Dream's punchiest tracks cut through, sounding made for radio. There are new fans here tonight – those whose heads were turned by her support slot with Field Music at the Ritz last October, and surely anyone who caught her fizzing performance of Called You Queen on Later... That song – a stomping, fuzz-pop re-imagining of early Blondie in all but name – is tonight's set-closing centrepiece but other highlights (including a bizarre but well-judged cover of Wreckless Eric's Whole Wide World) run it close.

This is not an immediately showy show, but then these songs don't necessarily call for a demonstrative performance mode. Haley and her three-piece touring band are studious players and their passion is deep-seated: the likes of Skynz (that tempo change is still a thing of wonky wonder) and Hometown have enough atmosphere and enough life to almost elevate themeslves.

But don't be fooled by the often languid vibe. Manchester certainly isn't, and goes properly nuts from the off, most obviously for Kismet Kill and a bruising Last War ("Mmm. You like that one, then, huh..?") If the buzz spills over into causing Haley to have to restart a solo acoustic encore of Eat For Free ("I'm really sorry but I can't hear myself if I'm listening to you guys"), it's little more than a reminder that even a mere handful of unthinking gobby types can speak for an otherwise rapt room if they try hard enough.

Earlier, at the mid-point, another more telling audience interaction: "So, any questions, Manchester?" As Haley takes a breather, input swings from the adoring ("When are you coming back?") to the inane ("What did you have for lunch?"). One likely lad offers unexpected (and, based on the bootleg stonewash jeans, unqualified) sartorial advice, clocking Haley's pants cropped a chic six inches above the ankle. "Did your trousers shrink in the heat?" he blusters. "No..." she replies, withering but ever polite. "They're just cool."