Hayley Kiyoko @ Manchester Academy – Manchester, U.K.

TikTok sensation Leah Kate opened the show at Manchester Academy; delivering a vibrant, energetic performance that certainly geared the crowd up for Hayley’s arrival. Performing some of her smash hit songs, which are viral on TikTok, such as “Fuck Up the Friendship” and “10 Things I Hate About You”, to a crowd which was clearly filled with adoring fans of hers, screaming the lyrics back to her. She also treated fans to a sneak peak of a new unreleased song called “Super Over” a break-up song filled with hints of self-love and empowerment. If the crowd were not already fans of Leah Kate, she had definitely won them over by the end of her performance.

As soon as Hayley’s tension-building intro began the crowd went wild, chanting her name. On the stage with just her microphone and dressed in a colourful denim ensemble, she began performing her 2021 smash hit single “Found My Friends”. Her show consisted of a fun mix of songs from both her debut album “Expectations”,  her sophomore album “Panorama” and even a new song “Greenlight”. No matter what she sang the crowd gave her their all; jumping and dancing around, clapping to the beat and screaming in delight for the next song. The crowd went wild when 2  dancers appeared on stage with Hayley; performing sultry dance breaks with Kiyoko, much to the delight of her LGBTQ+ fanbase. Some of her most notable performances of the night include “Girls Like Girls” and “For The Girls” which are both fan favourites. Her performance was high energy throughout, even in the slower songs her energy never failed and her dancers only added to her powerful performances. This was Hayley’s first tour in 4 years; but you could hardly tell she’d ever been off the stage. 

HAYLEY KIYOKO

Photos + Review by Amy Moran | Exclusively for Music, Why Not!