Following the return of live shows, Nicholson performed her first ever gig outside of her native North East: on the mainstage at Wilderness Festival no less, opening up for Jamie XX and Bicep. No pressure. More festivals followed for the soloist including All Points East, Cambridge Folk, Alt-Escape, Live At Leeds and Liverpool Sound City, before Northern Music Trust commissioned Nicholson to form a band and headline Sage 2 for their debut show.
Since then, the four-piece became the first performers at Sunderland's flagship venue The Fire Station, played Nicholson's first UK headline tour as part of Independent Venue Week 2022 and performed at Y Not, Generator Live and Twisterella. Further live highlights for Jodie have included sold-out shows with the likes of Emeli Sandé, Tom Rosenthal, Bernard Butler, Highasakite, Nerina Pallot, The Howl & The Hum, Siv Jakobsen and Skinny Living.
Using 2023 to focus on a new body of music and hone her craft as a producer, Nicholson was awarded a place at F-List & Miloco Studios’ ‘Culture of Belonging Weekend’ with The Anchoress and Dr. Isobel Anderson and used The Glasshouse ICM’s ‘Summer Studios’ residency to finesse her new songs before heading into Blank Studios in Newcastle. ‘Safe Hands’ is Nicholson’s most ambitious and cohesive collection of recordings to date, marking the culmination of 3 years writing and her first body of music to be recorded in a professional studio.
Offstage, Nicholson has cultivated a longstanding connection with her fans, sharing regular behind the scenes updates and things she’s loving across life and music via her monthly newsletter ‘6 Things’. Nicholson also openly shares her experiences as a northern, female musician and champions the North East as a thriving, creative region, having been a panelist at Manchester’s Unconvention and Twisterella’s (Un)Conference, as well as being on the assessment team for Sentric’s Academy Fund and a member of Generator’s Youth Advisory Board.
