Music Review | Olivia Dean at Co-op Live in Manchester
A wonderful evening We recently saw Olivia Dean deliver an almost spellbinding performance at Co-op Live in Manchester Author | Peter Jones Entering Co-op Live to a sea of polka dots, gleaming smiles and the gentle hum of “Man I Need”, there was a buoyant sense of anticipation drifting through Manchester on a warm Sunday evening. It marked the second and final night of Olivia Dean’s sold-out run at the UK’s largest indoor arena. The scale of the occasion felt all the more striking given that, just three years ago, she was performing at the Manchester Academy 3, a venue with a capacity of fewer than 500. Her rise since has been both swift and assured, underpinned by a clarity of voice and artistic identity that now places her among the most compelling figures in British music. Before Dean took to the stage on her first arena tour, support came from Jalen Ngonda This was a set of understated warmth and richness. The American, now based in England, drew from Motown, classi...