I was over the moon for most of the evening
18:52, 10 Sep 2025Updated 18:52, 10 Sep 2025
Christopher is the Echo’s Senior Life reporter covering restaurants, bars, shopping, events, concerts, and shows around Merseyside. Alongside his current role, Christopher led Liverpool’s Eurovision Song Contest 2023 coverage as its dedicated reporter. Christopher joined the Echo in 2022 after years of freelance writing focusing on pop culture and entertainment.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing at the Dome in Liverpool(Image: christopher megrath)
Last night, I finally had the chance to see one of my all-time favourite artist in person – Sophie Ellis-Bextor. Criminally underrated despite her global success, this was an evening I’ve spent years anticipating. The 46-year-old lived up to every expectation set before her but I can’t help feeling not everyone in attendance was deserving of the artist’s presence.
My favourite fun yet useless fact is that Spiller’s ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ featuring Sophie’s vocals was the very first song to ever be played on an iPod – knowledge I’d argue solidifies my stance as a die-hard fan. The millennium-year release delivered one of the biggest hits of the summer before ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’ erupted in the charts shortly after.
Sophie’s music has lived on the airwaves throughout her lengthy career as feel-good artistry that can be enjoyed no matter the weather. It’s music you listen to in the car with the window rolled down without a care in the world and locked tight in my favourites playlist on Spotify.
My conscious infatuation for the singer came in 2010 when she collaborated with Armin Van Burren on the piano-laid trance track ‘Not Giving Up On Love’ – one of my all time favourite singles. After discovering she was performing right on my doorstep in celebration of her new album, ‘Perimenopop’, I nearly bit the hand off the box office.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing at the Dome in Liverpool(Image: christopher megrath)
A friend and I secured two tickets to watch Sophie debut her new music at Liverpool’s The Dome on Renshaw Street. The intimate gig allowed fans to sample a taste of her new music while posing questions to the star in a Q&A session occupying the latter half of the evening.
Sophie stepped onto the stage in a glittering gown that shimmered under the lights, launching into her latest track, ‘Relentless Love’. The audience erupted in cheers and thunderous applause, which she soaked up, twirling across the stage and punctuating her performance with the occasional high kick.
Breaking the applause to greet her fans, Sophie reminisced on her previous appearance in Liverpool’s Philharmonic Hall. She said: “I remembered one of my fun facts: that Liverpool was one of the first places for documented UFO sightings. Not 100% sure it’s true.”
Sophie Ellis-Bextor performing at the Dome in Liverpool(Image: christopher megrath)
Swiftly ditching the banter in favour of a throwback anthem, she swung hard with her next track, ‘Music Gets the Best of Me’, followed by the new song ‘Layers’. The Perimenopop release is a return to her pop origins that’s so lyrically catchy during the chorus the audience was capable of singing along despite hearing it for the first time.
After further audience back-and-forth, Sophie delivered ‘Groovejet (If This Ain’t Love)’ before counterbalancing the 25-year-old hit with a 2024 release, ‘Freedom of the Night’, which came with an impromptu ribbon dance performance.
You won’t be surprised to hear she wrapped the first half of the evening with ‘Murder on the Dancefloor’, which went down a storm with everyone.
Sophie brought out ribbons for Freedom of the Night(Image: christopher megrath)
Finally enjoying Sophie Ellis-Bextor in person after all these years was worth calling home about. Her infectious, joyous energy on stage was palpable at the back of the room and every second felt fun, almost whimsical.
Having a massive backlog of bangers to pull from for a 30-minute set must be difficult, and although I wasn’t able to hear my favourite, the setlist was crafted well enough to keep long-term fans and newcomers satisfied.
If you can see Sophie Ellis-Bextor live, then book your tickets. You won’t be disappointed. I was over the moon for most of the evening.
The final 30 minutes of the one-hour show was an opportunity for Sophie to answer fan questions. The segment was hosted by a Gaydio DJ whose name I unfortunately missed, but he did an excellent job keeping the questions flowing with an upbeat energy while never overshadowing the spotlight.
Sophie Ellis-Bextor taking questions from the audience(Image: christopher megrath)
Unfortunately, some members of the audience decided to focus on their own conversations rather than Sophie’s. It was occasionally hard to follow the discussion with the surrounding chatter, and I would have loved the chance to hear Sophie share more about her career and anecdotes. Regardless, the evening seemed to fly by far too quickly. In person, she was every bit as softly spoken and witty as her television appearances and online persona suggest.