As Avery Anna stepped out onto the stage, she did so with the air of someone fearless and unafraid as she confidently strode across to her piano to give us a short but quite wonderful set. She has already appeared on the #TEAMw21 playlist and this Arizona born girl looks set to grace it soon again in the months to come.
It was as refreshing to hear a piano being the lead instrument and it was to Avery's lyrics on this opening heartbreaker - her debut single "Just Cause I Love You"
"Just cause I love you - don't mean I want to
Just cause I need you don't mean I ought to"
Reducing the Indigo crowd to a hush as they followed every word intently - this was an amaxing opening to her first UK show. Comfortably looking around as she played, this was a consumate performance - giving just a smile and a little wave as the roars of appreciation came on the final note.
With only four single currently to her name there was always going to need to be a cover or two, and Avery's cover of Lady A's "American Honey" once again showed her ability to deliver blissfully beautiful vocals.
The third song she opened by saying that she had written it before going on to say that she had forgotten the chords and admitting "I don't know how that happens!" It could easily have derailed the whole show but her honesty and calmness kept the crowd with her all the way and it was not long before we
were being treated to "Can't Miss You Anymore".
Delightfully making her intro while gently playing in the background it was so easy to forget that she had only just graduated.
A second cover was to follow with A Great Big Worlds "Say Something" - which has been viewed 9 million times on Tik Tok, a beautiful choice delivered with panache - with Avery's voice able to soar in the requisite places, hitting the big notes with some aplomb.
Giving a wave to upstairs she declared "I don't just do sad songs" before giving us a lighter tune with "I Love You More", one of those 4 2021 singles, with Avery beaming throughout.
A medley of her favourite country songs from "When I was young!" brought us a a run through "Ring Of Fire", "Forever and Ever Amen" and "I'm Telling You" showing that even as a small child she had inpeccable taste! Her stagecraft was such that she was able to cajole a singalong from the audience,
Leaving us on a high with "Narcissist" - a song stright from her journal, Avery once again displayed such mature writing for someone of such tender years, containing both heartbreaking lines with some sassy put downs. It all went to make a quite stunning C2C debut, in one of our favourite sets from the whole weekend.