Luvcat is currently enjoying the success of her debut album release, Vicious Delicious, with a sold-out UK tour across multiple cities. I was lucky enough to secure a last-minute ticket to her Bristol show at Trinity, a 600-person venue inside a church in the city centre. As a new fan of hers I didn’t know what to expect from the crowd or her performance, but both were on top form.
I spoke to two longtime fans in the crowd before the show started, and they said that the tracks on her debut album had been slowly released across the last 18 months, starting with Matador in May 2024. She said the anticipation around this album release had been incredibly high as a result, and others that I’ve spoken to since have cited it as the album they were most excited to listen to in 2025.
Luvcat commanded an eclectic stage, sometimes with a guitar, other times at the piano, but mostly with just her microphone. The crowd was hers from the very beginning, singing every word to the opener Lipstick, and then the fan favourite Matador. Her performances were confident and sultry, backed up by the strong story-telling lyricism heard on Emma Dilemma and Laurie. For the former, she was joined by Attic Girl who had opened for her in a theatrical and poetic flurry. She stayed on stage with the band for the rest of the set, on guitar and backing vocals.
Half-way through the set, Luvcat told us about her first love at 7 years old, Gerard Way, and how he had captivated her heart when she saw him perform on MTV. The crowd cheered as it became clear that a cover was coming their way, and she started singing a slow and beautiful rendition of Helena, with a little snippet at the end of I’m Not OK.
Her introduction to Blushing included a look back at how far her and her band had come, reminding us that her first headline tour was only earlier this year, with Bristol being the first city visited. She spoke about their time in Tokyo too, and we heard her appreciation towards the fans and the effort they go to in supporting her.
She moved the night along with He’s My Man, her ‘murder ballad’, which was accompanied by some male vocals offering even more depth than what we’ve heard on the record. The energy was clearly building towards the finale as Bad Books followed on the piano, and then the band were introduced before she walked off with them. Shouts of encore erupted in the crowd and they joined us for a final time after a quick costume change.
The encore began with the title track of the album, Vicious Delicious. Attic Girl joined her centre stage, duetting successfully and showing they are the perfect double-act. Finally, Dinner @ Brasserie Zedel ended the show with a bang, but not before the behind-the-scenes crew their shout outs too. As the song ended, the band grouped together at the front of the stage with just an accordion, a drum, and their voices as they gave us one more acoustic run of the chorus, closing out the set and their time in Bristol in brilliant fashion.
Set List:
Lipstick
Matador
Alien
Spider
Love & Money
Emma Dilemma
Laurie
Helena (MCR cover)
Blushing
He’s my man
Bad Books
Vicious Delicious
Dinner @ Brasserie Zédel
By Emma Maunder
