BY MICHAEL CHOWNE
A stellar performance from Alana Springsteen on a hot and sticky night at Islington Assembly Hall on Tuesday 7th July 2026, ably supported by Niamh McCrystal.
Originally from Virginia Beach, 25 year old Nashville recording artist Alana showed what a great entertainer she is on the third night of her 4 night UK tour as she put on a strong show with her band. This was her first ever London headline gig and the excitement was clear, Alana even donning an England football shirt at one stage before signing it and throwing it into the crowd.
Plenty of originals, mostly from her recent album ‘I HOPE THIS HELPS’, including the beautiful Taylor Swift-eque ‘i loved you then’. There were also some surprising but fun covers – Journey’s ‘Don’t Stop Believin’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’ from The Beatles, ‘I Gotta Feeling’ by Black Eyed Peas, Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Go Your Own Way’ and a fabulous ‘Torn’ by Natalie Imbruglia (for which Niamh was brought back onto the stage – a really nice touch).
A lot of fun was had along the way – each of the band being poured tequila into their mouths by Alana was the prelude to ‘cowboys and tequila’ and there was even a cameo from BRELAND. Alana also showed great musicianship – as well as having a beautiful voice and working the stage well she played electric and acoustic guitars along with keys for 3 or 4 songs (including a section when the band left the stage).
Really good opening set too from a new name to me in Niamh McCrystal from Cookstown, Northern Ireland. Playing here with a fiddle player and a keyboard player, Niamh seems to have marketed herself mostly as an indie pop artist to date but this looks to be gradually changing to a more country feel. Complete with cowboy boots, and aided by the fiddle, songs from her recent EP ‘Guess I’m Alright’ gave a country-pop, singer-songwriter vibe – she’s also recently opened for country artists Gareth and Stella Lefty, as well as Alana. Nice cover of Stella Lefty’s ‘Thinking ‘Bout You’ and the new original that caught my attention the most was the well written ‘You Did That’, a different take after her parents’ break-up.
Niamh is definitely an artist to look out for – her songs and delivery reminded me a little of Maya Lane.
