IT didn’t start well for Eliza Doolittle on the final date of her first headlining tour at Bournemouth’s O2 Academy.

With the audience cheering expectantly as the chirpy girl-next-door appeared on stage in beribboned shorts and a pink crop top, her microphone failed to work.

But once the brief technical hitch was sorted, the London-born songstress quickly charmed a mixed-age audience with her perky pop ditties.

Interacting comfortably with her fans from the start, the 22-year-old looked extremely relaxed and at home on the Academy stage, in front of a set featuring huge roller-skated legs and fairy lights.

Possibly in danger of being branded as too girlie for some people’s taste, Eliza shows surprising maturity, both vocally and in her laid-back performance style.

She’s also one of the engaging performers around.

Crowd-pleasers like Moneybox, Skinny Genes and Rollerblades brought a smile to everyone’s face with their upbeat mood.

But there are also marked retro influences – jazz and blues themes which permeate her music and may explain why she has caught the attention of an audience not restricted to pre-teen girls (though they were there in force and thoroughly enjoying themselves!). Her slow-paced cover of Bruno Mars’s Grenade is a prime example.

Naturally her top 5 hit Pack Up drew the biggest cheers of the night, and her vocal dexterity and engaging performance surely mean we will see more of Miss Doolittle now and in future.

These may be tough times, but she’s certainly full of the feelgood factor!

Sally Northeast