To say that Hereford born songstress Ellie Goulding has enjoyed something of a meteoric rise over the last couple of months would be an enormous understatement. Awarded the Critic’s Choice award at the Brit Awards, she has seen both her debut single and album top the charts and has sold out her first headline tour.

Outside the O2 Academy, touts are swarming, mostly looking to buy spare tickets rather than flog them, but no one is selling. This signifies the demand for Goulding right now and you’d think she’d have confidence flowing out of every inch of her. However, she nervously ambles on to the stage and looks a little overwhelmed by the swathes of people crammed into the O2 Academy. The possibility that she might fail to live up to their expectations disappears the second she opens her mouth to sing, offering note perfect renditions of nearly all the tracks from her debut album alongside a choice cover of Midlake’s Roscoe.

It’s especially pleasing to see that she can match her studio sound in a live context, as her recorded material is perfectly varnished pop, studio crafted to the nth degree. Styled by super producer du jour Starsmith, Goulding mixes sugary choruses with glistening grooves and melodies, each song catchier and dreamier than the last. Influences are scattered across her sound with Blondie, Imogen Heap and Portishead most obviously in the mix. The highlight of the gig is Wish I’d Stayed, which Goulding performs aided by nothing but an acoustic guitar. Other standout tracks are debut single Under the Sheets and Guns and Horses. She ends with number one hit Starry Eyed, which loses none of its glittery sheen when it’s played live, even when she adds a tribal drumming mid section and a thunderous, rockier outro. As with Florence and the Machine last year, the critics have backed a winner in Ellie Goulding. She’s all set for a magnificent career.