Known for her ‘Taylor Swift-esque’ lyrics and catchy break-up songs, Maisie Peters has been on the rise for some time now. However, her following has grown exponentially since the release of her latest album, The Good Witch, which rocketed to Number One in the UK charts in June 2023, a review of which can be found here! Having been a fan of Peters since her first album You Signed Up for This, I was beyond excited to see her perform in Leeds.
I had previously watched Peters perform as Ed Sheeran’s support act at ‘The Mathematics Tour’ in June 2022, and she has certainly matured in confidence as an artist since then. Opening the set with The Good Witch’s first track, ‘The Good Witch’ then jumping straight into another from the new album, ‘Coming of Age’, she commanded the stage with a confident presence that the crowd loved.
Although she was only on stage for 90 minutes, Peters certainly packed in a lot of her music, ranging from newer to older tracks. Crowd favourites were certainly ‘Run’ and ‘You’re Just a Boy (and I’m kinda the man)’’ from The Good Witch, as well as ‘Not Another Rockstar’ and ‘Cate’s Brother’ which she released last year. In acknowledgment of trying to cram as much music as possible into the set, Peters also performed a mash-up of various songs of hers, including, ‘Worst of You’, and ‘Night Changes’ by One Direction. A personal favourite performance from toward the end of the set was ‘There it Goes’ from The Good Witch. Peters certainly kept the crowd engaged and dancing the night away, often the audience’s singing was as loud as Peters herself!
Having closed the set with the popular anthem ‘Cate’s Brother’, in hopes of an encore, the crowd chanted ‘Maisie’ repeatedly until the band reappeared on stage. The chant has become popular amongst fans since the title track of The Good Witch ends with a sample of that very chant. Peters reappeared on stage with the band, accompanied by her support act and good friend, Gretta Ray, to perform ‘History of Man’, the closing track to The Good Witch. The crowd lit up the arena with phone torches, swaying to the emotive music. However, the atmosphere was then completely flipped with the concert’s closing song and fan favourite: ‘Lost the Breakup’. One of Peters’ most popular songs following its release as a single for The Good Witch on 31 March 2023, the crowd reaction was immense, with lots of dancing and screaming of lyrics. Peters then left the stage to the sound of huge cheers and applause from the audience, finishing the set.
Overall, Peters and her band performed an incredible gig to a large crowd. It was clear, given the rush on the merch stand we saw when leaving the venue, that Peters had attracted even more hardcore fans with her set. Having seen Peters twice now, it was lovely to see how she had grown as an artist and to be able to appreciate her music in such a vibrant and invested crowd.
Writer’s note: Maisie Peters’ ‘The Good Witch UK Tour’ is ongoing until finishing in Wembley OVO Arena on 3 November 2023. More information can be found here.
