Gabrielle Aplin took to the stage at ULU Live last week, and treated the packed out room to her beautiful voice and gorgeous songs.

Having been warmed up by support act Outlya – possibly the most upbeat band I’ve ever seen or heard – there’s a huge applause from the crowd as Aplin appears. She’s using the tour to promote her latest EP Avalon, which features Waking Up Slow – a much more electro sounding track than the soft, acoustic tunes for which she became known.

Waking Up Slow is the first song of the night, and Aplin launches straight in with a full band. There’s a lot more energy than I was expecting, given that I mainly know Aplin as the singer-songwriter-with-acoustic-guitar type of act. If this performance proves anything, it proves she’s far more diverse than that.

After a couple more tracks with the full band, they exit the stage, leaving Aplin on her own. Her first solo track is a piano acoustic version of That Girl, a feminist pop song she’s co-written with producer Salute. Before beginning, she gives a mini pep talk for all the women in the audience, reminding them that there’s nothing they can’t achieve. She uses the fact that she’s wearing on trainers on stage, rather than heels, as an example… which might not seem like a huge deal… but feeling strong and independent at just over five-feet high is significant. (As someone who’s five-foot-one I can very much relate.)

The audience goes dead silent for this piano number. Anyone who dares to speak gets abruptly shushed by irritated members of the crowd. Her voice truly is stunning. As she moves into an acoustic cover of The Power Of Love, I can see people wiping away tears from their eyes… I’m struggling to keep it together myself.

Other stand-outs include Miss You and Night Bus – both of which cement her departure from her acoustic sound of previous years. Although I’m nostalgically happy when she plays the golden oldies like Panic Chord, this new direction for Aplin is clearly working for her.

Photos: Hannah Ellison