Dua Lipa, O2 Academy, Birmingham - review

With just a guitarist and drummer on hand, the 22-year-old proved her minimalistic staging and stripped back routines were enough to keep Birmingham’s O2 Academy gripped for the entire evening.

Her twists, twirls and hair flicks put even the most serial ravers to shame, strutting from end-to-end of the stage as her shimmering black crop top dazzled under the spotlights.

The sell-out crowd welcomed the Kosovon beauty, little known to music fans just two years ago, to roars of applause as she opened with hit Hotter than Hell on Saturday.

After driving the crowd wild as she asked fans if they were ready to party, the singer teased the audience with her sassy tunes, captivating her crowd at every moment as her voice echoed across the room.

But Lipa’s brief moments speaking to her army of fans were constantly drowned out by a riot of cheering, leaving her short but sweet encounters appearing as just happy mumbles.

As the crowd momentarily halted their energetic wails to catch their breath, she said: “Birmingham thank you so so much. I can’t thank you enough. I want you to go absolutely crazy, do you think you can do that?”

Popular crowd-pleasers Blow Your Mind and Scared to Be Lonely, with a snippet of No Lies thrown into the mix, drove revellers into a frenzy during the 75-minute set, as delighted fans bellowed lyrics every step of the way.

Even tracks from her self-titled album released in June caused musical chaos – a sure sign Lipa’s eye for a catchy tune and her effortless tone will see her become a force to be reckoned with.

Thousands of bright lights shimmering from mobile phones brightened the venue as the songstress slowed down the tempo for New Love.

But it was number 1 hit New Rules and song IDGAF – her anthems for single women across the nation - which stirred her legion of female fans, proving girl power is well and truly alive.