Nell Mescal @ Cabaret Voltaire, Edinburgh, 14 Jul

As soon as she opens the first of her acoustic shows, Nell Mescal is taken aback by the volume of the crowd singing her lyrics straight back to her. In disbelief, she shakes her head after the opener Teeth: "This may be the loudest it's ever been."

Despite having only released one EP and several singles, indie-pop singer-songwriter Nell Mescal's career is on the rise. Stepping off the TRNSMT stage into the intimate, cosy Cabaret Voltaire, she adapts instantly, looking directly into the eyes of a couple of hundred or so fans. With low ceilings and the underground cave-like atmosphere, the venue seems tailor-made for acoustic sets. Opening act Eve Christina captivates the crowd with honest acoustic folk-pop, setting the scene for an evening of stripped-back confessions so personal they could be diary entries. Without distractions of a lavish stage or full band, Mescal’s ethereal voice shines and every lyric reverberates.

Mescal chats with us like we're old friends, even asking us to DM her a name for her new guitar. Some are clearly familiar faces in the crowd, with one getting a shoutout for reaching her 15th show. Through an atmosphere only possible in an intimate acoustic gig, there is a palpable connection between her and the crowd. She doesn’t shy away from pointing the mic at ever-enthusiastic fans at the barrier, looking directly into their eyes.

The set flits between long-standing fan favourites and unreleased gems such as Lose You All Together, brought to life by crisp, soft harmonies from guitarist and backing singer Charlie Sinclair. When the crowd doesn’t hold back in shouting the lyrics during Carried Away, you'd never guess that the song had only been teased via TikTok audio snippet and debuted with a full band the day before. 

Despite knowing all the words, the crowd knows when to be silent. Mescal sings solo for her recent single, Thin, a deeply honest exploration of struggling with body image. Recorded and released as an acoustic demo, the song lends itself to an intimate moment shared between artist and audience. In a brief pause from light-hearted moments of banter scattered across the show, she takes this time to ask us to take care of each other, assuring us that we're enough as we are.

As the show reaches its close, the pace picks up with singalongs of fan favourites Homesick and Killing Time; the timely track July is a warm hug from Mescal to the crowd. We're asked to leave any heavy emotions weighing us down in the room during this love letter to healing and new chapters. There's a buzz of giddy harmony and community across the room as voices merge to sing the refrain. As Mescal welcomes fans to say hi to her at the merch stand, we're convinced, even just for an hour, that 'it’s coming up roses'.