Alessi Rose in London: What to expect at the O2 Forum Kentish Town

“Who’s ready to feel like a freak?” says Alessi Rose to a sold-out 2,500-capacity Manchester Academy on Wednesday night. As random and unexpected as that quote sounds, it perfectly encapsulates the relationship that the 23-year-old has forged with her audiences – an environment that has a strong sense of community, with her confessional brand of pop that is as honest and relatable as it is enjoyable.

If the definition of 'work rate' in the dictionary had a picture next to it, the picture would probably be of Alessi Rose, who has been a workhorse in the UK music scene in 2025. A year which has seen the singer head on tour with Tate McRae on the North American leg of the ‘Miss Possessive Tour’, accompany Dua Lipa across Europe on the ‘Radical Optimism Tour’, release her third EP ‘Voyeur’ and perform at major festivals such as Glastonbury and Reading & Leeds.

But yet, despite the relentless nature of her touring schedule, Rose showed no signs of slowing down at Manchester Academy as she opened the performance with a punchy ‘That Could Be Me’, underlining the strength of Rose’s pop-rock chops.

In a succinct 75-minute set, the hits came thick and fast as Rose swiftly followed it up with a spine-tingling rendition of ‘Eat Me Alive’, which saw the singer’s fanbase belt the lyrics back in full voice – a common theme throughout the evening. Whenever the 23-year-old spoke or sang a lyric, she was greeted by deafening screeches on every occasion; the singalongs got consistently louder, fittingly one might say given the singer’s eagerness for loudness and (novelty hats, amongst other things) from her live audiences.

Nonetheless, the beauty of an Alessi Rose show is the rollercoaster of emotions on display. The Gracie Abrams-inspired ‘Don’t Ask Questions’, which highlights the singer coming to terms with her OCD, is delivered with acoustic warmth and steeped in relatability; ‘Bittersweet’ is emotionally charged; the twangy-guitar-laden ‘Stella’ puts the spotlight on disagreements between friends; and ‘Dumb Girl’ underlines the brilliance of “turning uncomfortable situations into something beautiful” – perhaps a lesson people could take inspiration from in all walks of life.

Rose closed out the performance with a blissful one-two punch of ‘RIP’ and ‘Same Mouth’ with her 2,500-strong army of fans in full voice until the last note. With the raw honesty of her lyricism and talent in abundance, it’s easy to see how Alessi Rose’s fanbase continues to expand and how the sense of community in the singer’s audience becomes stronger. In an ever-evolving pop scene, the 23-year-old is very much a fast-rising pop star on the cusp of a breakout.