Live Review: Sophie Ellis-Bextor – 12th June 2025 – Royal Albert Hall, London, UK

With Pride Month in the UK now in full and fabulous swing, it seemed only appropriate that one of the most celebrated and adored queens of noughties pop would grace the stage of the prestigious Royal Albert Hall on Thursday night for a show full of hits, banter and some of the most sparkly outfits to be seen on stage.

Sophie Ellis-Bextor has seen a massive surge in popularity over the last two years thanks to her 2001 hit Murder on the Dancefloor appearing on the widely watched film, Saltburn and in particular, during a rather naughty closing scene that got everyone’s attention. The use of the song in the film ushered in a new era for Ellis-Bextor and she was catapulted to the world stage thanks to the film’s global success. While us fans here I’m the UK have always loved the singer and her numerous hits over the last 25 years, some parts of the world, including the US, are now getting to experience the hitmakers brand of pop for the very first time as she has been busy touring the globe and reaping in the rewards of the soundtrack feature.

Sophie is now back home in the UK and doing the rounds of some of the countries most cherished venues for a brand-new tour and we went along to catch the pint-sized musician at the Royal Albert Hall; the latest stop on a 15-date run around the country with London being the closing performance of this set of shows.

It was a career retrospective set that touched on many of the singers notables – from Read My Lips standouts like Cher cover, Take Me Home which displayed images of the songs France-inspired video on the giant screens behind her, to mammoth career-reignitor, Murder on the Dancefloor getting the sold out crowd dancing along with as much energy as the showgirl on stage. Nearing the end of the night, Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer) was given a meaty, gritty dressing and a mid-set offering of Get Over You provided one of the many earworm highlights of the night as the singer encouraged her fans to sing back the infectious “Aye Aye Aye” hook from the track.

A moving acoustic performance of Young Blood was a token ballad in the set and allowed for Ellis-Bextor’s vocals to really shine as she perched herself on a seat next to her guitarist who had family in one of the adjacent boxes cheering him on.

With brand new studio album, Perimenopop on its way in mid-September we were dished up a handful of newbies. The catchy Relentless Love and Taste, with its visuals of Ellis-Bextor eating various sweet treats on the overhead screens, helped cracked the lid on the night while further down the set the singer introduced an interactive element to the show are she brought out a giant diamond button and let the enormous screens select her performance from songs from the new record of Dolce Vita. Freedom of the Night – the lead single from the new record – sat very confidently as one of the singers best recordings in recent years and translated exceptionally well in a live setting as it was lapped up by the adoring crowd.

Fans were given a lesson in dance choreography for her performance of the lyrically complex Hypnotised and a medley that included a lengthy performance of Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) proved to be not just the highlight of the night, but the moment the gentle Royal Albert Hall was transformed into a giant club night as a reverberating dance beat shook the floors of the venue as she offered up worthy covers of ABBA’s  Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) and Modjo’s one-off hit, Lady (Hear Me Tonight). The singer made good use of a smoke machine as she strapped on some glasses that shot out green lasers throughout the venue for her performance of Donna Summer’s I Feel Love and had the crowd dancing to her version of Alcazar’s Crying at the Discoteque, showing that she has a real knack for selecting the most perfect songs to give the Sophie Ellis-Bextor touch – safe but effective.

Alternating outfits throughout the night as any true glam popstar should – including an eye catching green one piece with flowing tinsel arms – Sophie delivered a stellar set to her fans on Thursday as well as an educational one, as she offered the crowd facts about the Royal Albert Hall – something that she is known for in her shows having researched her performance space ahead of time. It was a night of fun, fabulousness and overflowing with nostalgic gems.

Setlist:
Relentless Love
Take Me Home (Cher cover)
Taste
Hypnotized
Wild Forever
Young Blood
Hearing in Colour
Ready for Your Love (Felix Jaehn cover)
Dolce Vita
Get Over You
Lady (Hear Me Tonight) / Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love) / Can’t Fight This Feeling / Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)
Freedom of the Night
I Feel Love (Donna Summer cover)
Not Giving Up on Love (Armin van Buuren cover)
Crying at the Discoteque (Alcazar cover)
Like a Prayer (Madonna cover)
Heartbreak (Make Me a Dancer)
Murder on the Dancefloor

Encore:
Bittersweet
A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.