LUVCAT: From the Circus to the Stage.
words by NADINE GOETZ
photography by BARNABY FAIRLEYIt‘s a Wednesday night in Camden, North London. A checkerboard floor glows under dark stage lights, a big half-moon hangs from the ceiling, and a rising star takes the stage. Within just months, Luvcat has soared to an impressive 880,000 Spotify listeners – just two weeks after the release of her debut album, ‘Vicious Delicious’, released on October 31st, 2025.
During the encore, Luvcat announces, “I don't wanna leave.” Tonight marked her biggest headline show yet at London’s Koko. Her artist name, Luvcat, was inspired by the 1983 song ‘The Lovecats’ by The Cure. Before Luvcat was born, Sophie Morgan Howarth released music under her birth name. Coming from a circus background, her stage presence feels natural but playful, entertaining but mesmerizing – drawing the audience in easily. The entire show feels like a performance from start to finish, every detail carefully planned – from the beautiful stage design to Luvcat’s almost dramatic entrance and the way she draws the audience into the whole experience. She clearly belongs on that stage, if not an even bigger one. The night was kicked off with ‘Lipstick’, a sultry song about desire. Sophie then addressed the crowd by saying, “I hope you all feel sexy and strange… speaking of strange; this is a song about a bar in Liverpool” before launching into her currently second-most streamed song on Spotify, ‘Matador’. Her performance is glamorous and captivating, almost dark and gothic. Surely her circus background is coming in handy in this regard. Before her song ‘Alien’, which she described as one of the earliest songs she played at her first-ever shows, she tells the audience that she is wearing the same dress and hat piece she wore for her first London show 18 months ago, when she and the band played for about 150 people. Tonight, about 1500 people have gathered in North London to watch her perform. She jokes about her two ex-boyfriends who snuck into the show 18 months ago – one of many playful asides throughout the night.
Attic Girl, the evening’s opening act, later returns to perform Luvcat’s album’s title track ‘Vicious Delicious’ with the singer. Like the rest of Luvcat’s band, Attic Girl wore circus-inspired attire that matched the evening’s unique atmosphere and overall concept. Luvcat recounts meeting Attic Girl while working at the circus, saying, “We ran away to London together from Liverpool.” The night included many playful and surprising elements, such as her singing a part of ‘He’s My Man’, her biggest hit so far, from the right side of the balcony, the use of an old vintage microphone during a part in ‘Bad Books’, or her cover of ‘Helena’ by My Chemical Romance, which earned lots of applause from the crowd. The venue was packed – both the floor and balcony overflowing with people – many of them young girls – mesmerized by her performance throughout the evening.
“I can‘t get off the Ferris wheel when the circus is in me” Luvcat sings in ‘Blushing’ – a song that almost didn‘t make the album. Before playing the song, she tells the audience that the boys had “bullied” her into putting it on the record, which led to her ultimately rewriting the song. She goes on to say that the song is “a reflection of the last years; playing in pubs, falling in love.” She describes how she could feel things changing, which felt magical. The song tells the story of her being in love with the band’s previous bass player – “And the band‘s kicking off, we‘ll be big in Japan. But it‘s just me and you in McDonald’s and you‘re holding my hand”, she sings. She continues, “If it all faded away. We had so much fun. I loved being in a pub band with those wonderful boys. Thank you so much for changing our lives.” It’s clear she is almost overwhelmed by her rapid rise to fame, but she is grateful for everything that‘s happening. Nonetheless, she seems to genuinely enjoy making music with her band, regardless of the outcome. Later, she again highlights how quickly things have changed, mentioning that they only recently struggled to sell 20 tickets to a show in Liverpool.
‘Laurie’, a heartfelt ballad about unrequited love, showcases her vulnerability and shifts the room’s energy. She sits by the piano as she describes the song as being about, “…forbidden love. About loving someone who’s loving someone else.” The song felt like her at her most vulnerable, creating a different atmosphere in the room. “What if he suddenly gets run over before I get over myself? What if he accidentally has a baby with somebody else?” she sings in ‘Laurie’. Her songs are a unique blend of gothic romance with tales of love, longing, desire, and obsession. Having supported Sabrina Carpenter at BST in London earlier this year, Luvcat jokingly calls herself Sabrina’s “evil Scouse sister”.
To close the night, and “end the show together” as Luvcat announced, the band clusters in the center of the stage, Sophie on the accordion, inviting the audience to sing one more chorus of “Dinner @ Brasserie Zedel” together. The crowd sings in unison, “When are you gonna make me your baby? You know I belong in your arms”, while Sophie plays the accordion surrounded by her four bandmates and the night’s opener, Attic Girl. Luvcat is a natural on stage and certainly knows how to draw in a crowd with her powerful vocals, playful nature, and the almost theatrical aspect of her shows. The night ended with a sense of unity and magic. On stage, surrounded by vintage lamps, pearls, and bandmates in circus-themed outfits, Luvcat leaves no doubt: we will all be hearing her name again soon.
All photography property of
Barnaby Fairley.
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