The concert by Annahstasia (the author of one of the unquestionable best albums of the year) at Hoxton Hall in London began before any instrument sounded. She only had to appear and let her voice rise for the entire room to fall into a silence rarely found in the city.

The a cappella opening: “We’ve Come a Long Way Together”, Bernice Johnson Reagon’s protest song performed with the collaboration of the sisters Qazi & Qazi, who had enchanted the room moments earlier with their impossible harmonies, set the tone for everything that would follow.

Hoxton Hall, a nineteenth-century theatre with an almost handcrafted acoustic character, became the perfect accomplice for a night of deep emotional sharing. The old wooden structure absorbed and returned the sound with a physical closeness, giving weight to every breath. It is a room that demands presence, and Annahstasia, just as Qazi & Qazi had done, embraced that attentiveness from the very first moment.

The setlist she brought revealed an emotional journey shaped with real care. The concert opened with “Be Kind”, immediately making clear how intentional the flow of the evening would be. “Take Care of Me” showed the depth she has onstage: she never forces the voice, never dramatizes, but conveys everything with a disarming honesty. In “SLOW”, the intensity grew quieter, like an inner dialogue unexpectedly witnessed by a room that listened with almost religious stillness.

She then presented “Open Door”, still unreleased, followed by two of the night’s highest points: “Satisfy Me” and “Silk & Velvet” performed to a room entirely surrendered to her presence and fully aware that it was witnessing a moment that will likely be remembered years from now, when the venues are larger and very different from this one.

With “Garden”, a gentle lightness took over, a song that seems to stretch and unfold live, as if discovering itself right there onstage.

Between songs, Annahstasia spoke with unusual frankness about the exhaustion of touring, about her relationship with her craft and with money, about the feeling of constantly moving through expectations: her own and those of others. It wasn’t rehearsed speech, nor an attempt to impress. It was confession. And perhaps that is why it brought her even closer to the audience that night.

“Saturday” brought a more grounded energy before the concert entered its final stretch with “Sunday” - and - “Believer”, the latter functioning as a point of arrival, a song that sounds bigger live than in the studio, carrying both conviction and a deliberate vulnerability.

What truly defined this night was not volume, nor instrumental virtuosity, nor any kind of grand production. It was clarity. An artist who knows exactly what she wants to express and does so without ornamentation. A room that amplifies intention rather than sound. And an audience that understood the importance of listening.

At Hoxton Hall, Annahstasia revealed a rare kind of presence: a quiet strength capable of transforming an entire room without raising her voice. It wasn’t a massive concert; it was a true one. And that is always greater.

Next year she will appear at Primavera Sound Porto, and even in a less intimate setting, those who recognise the gem that Annahstasia is will undoubtedly be left with a performance to remember.