Eliza Doolittle at Studio Private, the Old Shoreditch Station

Putting a big voice in a small room is always going to yield powerful results, so the bedroom-sized space at Studio Private, chosen as one of the launch sites for the Oxjam festival, was completely captured by Eliza Doolittle and her impressive set of pipes. 

Despite being used to larger venues, Doolittle made the most of the intimate location, charming the room between belting out songs, mostly taken from her upcoming album In Your Hands. Though she used the opportunity to debut some of these tracks, Doolittle still indulged the crowd with the instantly recognisable 2010 hit Pack Up.

Doolittle’s new material seems to have veered from her more pop-influenced debut album to a edgier, dirtier r&b sound that allows her to make full use of her impressive vocal range. While there are echoes of Pack Up on Big When I Was Little, it’s showstoppers like No Man Can and Walking On Water that really show what the singer is capable of. 

The only thing able to get in the way of Doolittle’s voice was the slightly restless crowd, which seemed to be made up of primarily lanyard-wearing Oxjam employees and at least 10% Radio 1 DJs. There was, at times, a bit of a disconnect between Doolittle and her audience, exacerbated by the fact that they were encouraged to tweet pictures of her, meaning many watched the entire set through their phone screens. 

Despite this, Doolittle delivered a phenomenal performance, bringing real attitude to the stage while managing to remain completely endearing throughout. Flanked by her equally impressive backing singers, she’s introduced an increasingly soulful quality to her music that gives her a vocal maturity well beyond her 25 years. Doolittle’s talent combined with her stage presence is sure to take her to new heights as an artist, and In Your Hands sounds like just the album to do it.

Verdict: ★★★★★

Annie Robinson
Photo: Kmeron

For further information about Eliza Doolittle and future events, visit here.

Watch the video for Big When I Was Little here: