I first saw Emmy the Great as a support act in 2006; then she was a fairly diminutive presence, the sophisticated wit of her acoustic folk songs masked by shy delivery. Tonight could not have been much more different. Half way through the performance she notes that the stage is larger than the seating area, but every inch up to the cavernous ceiling of the Junction 2 is constantly charged with the energy of an utterly assured performance.

The effect of a full band is instantly noticeable; the introduction “we’re Emmy the Great” is very much to the point as the backing of guitar, bass, drums and keyboard add a slightly more abrasive edge to many of the songs this evening. ‘Dinosaur Sex,’ for instance, becomes far more grandiose, with the weight of a dark rumble of electric guitar constantly threatening to swallow Emma’s voice and acoustic melody.

For the most part, this is a welcome change matched by strong vocal delivery; however, some of the subtlety is lost from the rendition of ‘Creation,’ whilst what ‘MIA’ gains in drama from the addition of cymbal flourishes it loses in intimacy.

That’s not to say this is a show that lacks touching moments: the final two songs from the main set, ‘North’ and ‘Trellick Tower,’ reduce the captive audience to a hushed reverence that is a fitting response to the sombre organ notes of the former. The latter song is undoubtedly the evening’s highlight as Emma sings of the fiancé she lost to religion in heartbreakingly frank detail. The air is thick with her lament as it seems no-one dares take a breath, all eyes focused intensely on the singer backed by a single white light smoke meandering behind her.

Even at this moment, she doesn’t betray any of the vulnerability of the performer I saw six years ago, with her deep, resonant vocal ensuring she is not, as she sings, “a relic of a life gone by.” Far from it, tonight she gives the impression of an artist who has channeled the pain that inspired her most recent album into a beautiful and confident creativity.