Last night, Casey McQuillen turned the intimate Gulliver’s into something much bigger than its four walls, but a space filled with warmth, laughter, and music that hit straight to the heart.
With a twinkle in her eye and a guitar slung over her shoulder, McQuillen launched into ‘The One’, its uplifting chorus instantly pulling the audience in. There was a kind of easy electricity in the room, the kind where strangers exchange smiles because they’re caught up in the same rhythm. ‘Talk in My Head’ followed, its bright pop melody bouncing through the venue, while her recent single Wedding Date shimmered with a cinematic kind of heartbreak that hushed the room to stillness.
The set had its share of sparkle too. A playful cover of Katy Perry’s, ‘The One That Got Away’, had fans grinning and recording on their phones, while Better and Better Than This were pure bursts of joy – irresistible, shimmering pop anthems that sent hands flying into the air.
As the show closed, McQuillen stood grinning at the sea of raised arms in front of her, clearly as moved by Manchester as Manchester was by her. She’s already proved she can hold her own on arena stages, but in a venue like Gulliver’s, her gift for connection felt even more powerful.
