Olivia Rodrigo review: ‘A once-in-a-generation talent in top form’

Two years later, with a second chart-topping album under her belt, the Guts World Tour saw the 22-year-old make the successful leap to an arena headliner with a tour that sold out instantly and required the singer to add additional dates, including a second at the Co-Op Live. Rodrigo was actually scheduled to be among the first acts to open Manchester’s state-of-the-art new arena, but after a series of technical difficulties, Rodrigo’s two-night residency at the Co-Op Live was postponed, and in the year since, the 22-year-old has simply gone from strength to strength.

Rodrigo has transitioned from an arena headliner to a stadium/festival headliner, and her critically acclaimed set at Glastonbury (where she became the second youngest headliner in history) was one of over a dozen festival headlining slots for the singer this year, with headlining sets at Lollapalooza in Chicago, Belgium’s Rock Wercher and Madrid’s Mad Cool Festival awaiting the singer. However, the most exciting thing is that at 22 years old, Rodrigo is just getting started.

As Rodrigo’s backing band played out the opening notes of an extended version of ‘Obsessed’, the 22-year-old strutted down the catwalk of the stage, and from the opening verses, it was increasingly evident that the Co-Op Live was in the presence of a once-in-a-generation talent in top form.

With a remarkably deep catalogue, the hits came thick and fast as a ludicrously fun rendition of ‘Ballad of a Homeschooled Girl’ sparked a mass singalong. ‘Vampire’ embraces the theatrics in a performance that sees Rodrigo drenched in moonlight on a track that is one of Olivia’s finest ballads, and four tracks in, the Manchester audience is treated to a majestic rendition of ‘Drivers License’. Performing the track that catapulted the singer to global fame so early in the set underlines the strength in the singer’s catalogue.

Rodrigo’s second record, ‘Guts’, saw the singer embrace a different sonic approach and employ a more rock-driven sound, highlighting her growth from the angsty alt-pop of ‘Sour’ to the aforementioned ‘Guts’, and those tracks from her latest album sound even better in a live setting. ‘Bad Idea Right’ sees one of Olivia’s backing guitarists break into a thrilling guitar solo, which leads into an extended jam that was rock at its finest. A big jam from the backing band paved the way for a rendition of ‘Love is Embarrassing’ that was given extra weight thanks to Olivia’s relentless energy.

With energy and charisma in abundance, Rodrigo is a remarkably engaging performer, reminiscing about a time when she lacked confidence and felt insecure before a scaled-back solo performance of ‘Enough of You, performed with Olivia on electric guitar, and her vocals are utterly sublime in a live setting. Afterwards, the singer hyped up her love of the city and the pub scene in Manchester without revealing her favourite, as she’s “secretive”, and shared how she attended a Manchester United game last year, which brought the only boos of the evening. However, those boos quickly dissipated as the singer performed the opening notes of ‘So American’, and as the intensity ratcheted up in the chorus, Rodrigo asked, “Manchester, are you in love?” The sea of screams in response emphatically answered that question.

As the night came to a close, an explosive encore of rock-infused tracks blew the roof off the Co-Op Live, with a big extended jam leading into ‘Brutal’, which saw the band break off into solos midway through before a one-two punch of ‘All American Bitch’ and ‘Good 4 U’ leads Rodrigo and co into ‘Get Him Back’, which sees the singer perform the opening verses through a megaphone on a makeshift ladder. As the confetti fell from the sky in the Co-Op Live, Rodrigo departed as the band engaged in a session of spine-tingling solos. A fitting end to a flawless performance that leaves you utterly breathless and excited to see what Rodrigo does.

While Co-Op Live made for a more intimate setting than the stadiums and festivals Rodrigo has headlined recently, no matter where the 22-year-old performs, you’ll be treated to one of the best performances you’ll ever witness.