IAAS Music’s first-ever attempt at covering a major UK festival was in Leeds, at the Roundhay Festival. At points, we were questioning what the festival had to offer beyond headliner Lewis Capaldi… until stumbling onto one of the most impressive up-and-coming, female-led rock artists I’ve ever seen. This article is a warning sign for anybody who might be listening: Anyone who likes to say “I knew them before they were massive” needs to get to a Nieve Ella concert ASAP, and here’s why.

Did Nieve Ella “steal the show” on Saturday of Roundhay Festival?

If Lewis Capaldi hadn’t absolutely ‘rocked’ his set (it was more of a gentle sway than a rock, but phenomenal nonetheless), then Nieve Ella would absolutely be the headliner in our eyes! For us, we questioned Roundhay’s “Festival” status beyond being a day event (you can read more here!). But that all changed upon seeing Nieve Ella on the East Stage – the B-stage of the festival focusing on up-and-coming musicians – gathering an impressive crowd, and making an even more impressive sound. Without this discovery, I don’t believe I would have been convinced that Roundhay was more than a string of consecutive day events over standing as its own festival. 

Who is Nieve Ella?

Born and raised in Albrighton, West Midlands, Nieve Ella is a singer merging genres to create a powerful and unique sound in-line with other female-led rock groups like Wet Leg or Coach Party. She works particularly within indie rock and pop, but with a grungier (and in my opinion easier to consume) feel.

Breaking through on TikTok during the 2020 lockdown, Nieve Ella has found rapid success in the music industry, releasing multiple records under independent label AWAL Records (she is now signed to another independent label, Artist Theory), and touring with acts like Dylan and Girl in Red. 

How good is Nieve Ella live? 

I cannot overstate this enough – Nieve Ella’s performance froze us in our tracks. We found an artist at Roundhay with a clear love for their art, who’s clearly spent the time to refine the abilities that they perform to perfection. I preclude the term “effortlessly”, as Nieve Ella’s effort, shared with her band members, was both notable and contagious.

Now, all musicians have to have a bit of an ego – why else would you stand on a stage and demand people listen to you? However, Nieve Ella offered the perfect juxtaposition from other artists on the event’s larger stage who performed with the absolute confidence that they had the best to offer, clearly unaware of what this Shropshire-born singer was doing on the stage to the east!

The entire crowd grew steadily throughout the set, with the festival-goers passing by noticing how bought-in the crowd had become. A key part of performing songs with such a high level of energy is ensuring that your contagious attitude to the music is positive – and Nieve Ella, and her incredibly talented band, seemed to love every single second they were on stage. They knew exactly how to command the stage, and I left the performance in awe. 

Nieve Ella has a few live dates listed currently, including London’s Hyde Park this weekend (11-12 July), Lollapalooza Berlin in Germany (18-19 July), and the Electric Picnic Festival in Stradbally, Ireland (28-30 August). Honestly, I’d recommend keeping an eye on her calendar for when you can catch her headlining her own show, because I can guarantee you will feel almost disappointed by anything following.

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You can keep up with Nieve Ella on her Spotify, Instagram, TikTok, and SoundCloud.