Sensual synths and thunderous, pulsating beats seep through the Academy on Wednesday night as Jessie Ware commenced her highly anticipated, sold out performance. “And I’m lost again, it keeps happening” she bellows. Her debut single Running kickstarts the gig on just the right note. Jessie last played in the capital a few years ago and there is no doubt that Dubliners are overdue a refresher course in Ware’s distinctive blend of R&B-Pop.

“Dublin, I’ve been expecting a lot from you” she informs the crowd before sliding into Cruel, a classic Jessie tale of uncertainty and love on the brink. It’s one of the strongest tracks on the album and the live rendition does not disappoint.

At the beginning of the set, she looks slightly uncomfortable as she steps away from the mic stand, however, the lack of ease in relation to dance moves is quickly rectified by charmingly funny on stage banter. She pulls her jacket to the side to reveal a pedometer on her hip, explaining that she is aiming to reach 3,000 steps by the end of the day.

It is refreshing to see audience interaction that is not rehearsed. She has the crowd giggling away as she cites her three favourite Irish words: “Deadly, grand and ride”. It’s clear she feels at home in Ireland; recalling her first gig ever which happened to be in the Sugar Club and raves about a recent trip to Dingle where she performed at Other Voices.

The set list is a fine mixture of tracks from Devotion and Tough Love. The revisit of older tunes such as the bubbly Jackson-esque Sweet Talk and If You’re Never Gonna Move are definitely appreciated but Jessie really seems to excel with the new material such as Want Your Feeling and Pieces. There are serious vibes in the venue as Jessie flits around the stage during Kind Of…Sometimes…Maybe, the musical equivalent of melted chocolate and strawberries.

For the most part, Jessie’s band is good – kudos to the animated bassist for upping the energy on stage – but there are a few moments during the set where the rest of band appear somewhat insipid. One can’t help but think it would be nice to hear a few songs performed acoustically.

The real gems come at the end of the performance in the form of Wildest Moments and the pop world’s current anthem of relationship apprehension, Say You Love Me. During the latter the band cut out for a few seconds at a time allowing Jessie’s soulful voice to soar, just the way it should.

Jessie has a spectacular knack of articulating universal tales of love and capturing them in soulful, expressive tunes. The only real criticism of the show would be the lack of any acoustic performance that could further emphasise her memorable, caramel infused vocals. “I won’t leave it so long next time, Dublin” she says smiling before running off stage. Deadly, we’ll hold you to that, Jessie.