A sea of people pour out of the Utilita Arena, faces glowing under streetlights; still buzzing with excitement, singing their hearts out long after the final note of UK dance-pop queen Becky Hill’s set. A few hours before, the venue had been filling up with a similar, anticipatory buzz.

Hill’s opening acts do her proud this evening too. Charlie Boon delivers an hour of mashups whose nostalgic wave of millennial hits set the vibe for the night perfectly. Alimish, a rising Welsh singer, charms us with her powerful voice and original songs – although she isn’t shy of the odd cover, either, and when Destination Calabria kicks in, the crowd go wild.

At 9pm, the stage bursts into lights as Becky Hill enters the arena. Starting strong with True Colours, a 2024 single and Self Esteem collaboration, over nearly two hours of energetic performance Hill mines the majority of her catalogue to date, including crowd favourites like Gecko (Overdrive), Crazy What Love Can Do, Piece Of Me and Disconnect, where she’s joined onstage by Rileasa Slaves. She showcases her Welsh language skills, to boot, and connects effortlessly with the Cardiff audience.

The show’s production value is high, from the lights to the beautifully done graphics and videos, and it’s worth mentioning Hill’s backup singers, whose strong, harmonious voices are a perfect addition to her live band. With no dancers, the focus is on Hill’s moves: full of energy, running up and down the stage, it’s more than enough.

As the show nears its end, Hill sits down to talk. Sharing her connection to Wales and her gratitude for the people attending her show, she speaks of the difficulties of living in the present, Britain’s energy and housing crises, and how incredibly privileged she felt that we chose to come and see her. It’s a heartfelt, compassionate moment, and the crowd are extra energetic for the set’s closing segment, including the anthemic Afterglow and, to finish, worldwide hit Remember.

A celebration of music, energy and connection, Becky Hill’s ability to blend heartfelt moments with high-energy production makes her a standout artist of the moment, and her Cardiff show a night to remember.

Becky Hill, Alimish + Charlie Boon, Utilita Arena Cardiff, Tue 22 Oct

words EWA PAŁKA photos JOSEPH ELIJAH