Maisie Peters at Wembley Arena

Maisie Peters played a milestone show last night at Wembley Arena. Photos of fans are shown on the screens before the gig begins, a beautiful set-up to a performance that is, at heart, a love letter to Peters’s journey as a musician. As the final stop on the Road to Wembley tour, this night is a celebration of all she’s achieved. An emotional mix of acoustic-guitar-led songs and punchy pop-rock bangers, the gravity of this moment is not lost for a second.

Coming of Age opens the set perfectly, the crowd jumping and singing loudly. It’s a song of growing and glowing and knowing yourself, and it couldn’t be more poignantly sung here. Indeed, these numbers come alive onstage, with the next tracks Body Better and Love Him I Don’t completely filling the room.

There’s a section in the middle that shines: a mashup of Two Weeks Ago, Worst of You, Night Changes (by One Direction) and You Signed Up for This. It is an ode to her and it is an ode to her fans, together forever. A new song, an old song, a song she and her fans grew with, and the title track of her first album. The crowd pretty much sings it on their own, loudly and proudly, evidence of their time spent evolving up with her. It is incredibly special to witness.

Ed Sheeran is welcomed onstage to an erupting crowd, and the two sing a sweet rendition of Lego House. Peters opened for Sheeran on his tour, but him joining her here is a reminder of how far she has come in her own right.

Peters’s band has been perfect all night, immensely important to both the show and her. She sings The Band and I while full of emotion, with spotlights shining on each member at references throughout the song, telling a story of dear friends loving and learning together. “It was a far-flung wish when we were young/Now we’re living the dream and I hope we never wake up” echoing at Wembley is enough to give everyone in the room goosebumps.

Not Another Rockstar, Blonde, and I’m Trying (Not Friends) is a run of catchy tracks that foster insane energy from her and the audience: if anyone wasn’t on their feet (unlikely), they are now. This is a show of healing, acceptance and knowing exactly what you’re worth, and There It Goes is the epitome. As the crowd sings those words over and over, a mantra of letting go, it feels like the making of a memory they will never forget. Phone lights glitter, confetti rains and, right now, Maisie Peters is the embodiment of sweet girlhood for everyone.

Talitha Stowell
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Maisie Peters’s website here.

Watch the video for the single Lost the Breakup here: