Marina and the Diamonds—stage name for singer Marina Lambrini Diamandis—played the Gothic Theatre Tuesday, May 14. With the theatricality of a Broadway musical, the contagious energy of a warehouse rave and the emotional intensity of a church sermon. Not a second of the show was anything less than spectacular.

In the opening act, fellow British pop singer Charli XCX (AKA Charlotte Aitchison) did a wonderful job warming up the crowd and building hype before Diamandis took the stage. Having just released her first album, Charli XCX proved that she deserved her spot touring with one of the most beloved cult-pop artists the decade.

But it is impossible, even for someone as good as Aitchison, to compete with the stage presence of Diamandis. Nearly every single audience member sported the Welsh singer’s signature fashion statement, a heart drawn on the cheek, and many audience members also wore outfits mimicking Marina and the Diamonds’ music video attire with pin-up girl-style dresses.

Diamandis delivered everything a devoted fan could possibly want. Using props and making multiple costume changes, the singer was all over the place—dancing, singing, playing the piano and making small talk with the crowd. Marina’s rapport with the crowd was just as sassy as one would expect. As she introduced her more dance-worthy tracks, she would encourage the (packed to the brim) moshpit with remarks like “Okay, Denver, on the count of three, lose your s**t.”

Included in the set list were many of the singer’s more “happy” songs, like “Homewrecker,” “Bubblegum Bitch,” “Shampain” (during which she brought out a martini glass full of glitter to be splashed onto the crowd) and “Power And Control.” But a lot of her more serious songs were included as well, and were received with even more adoration by the audience. Songs like “Fear and Loathing,” “Lies,” “Numb” and “Obsessions” showcased Marina’s solemn side and a whole other set of songs, such as “Hollywood,” “Oh No!” and “I Am Not a Robot” mixed the peppy and the solemn.

There was a relatively equal distribution between songs from Marina and the Diamonds’ first album, The Family Jewels, and her second release, Electra Heart. Both had the audience singing along and dancing; the result was a downright electric atmosphere, just as Diamandis sings “my blood is burning, radioactive.” In the boiling-hot room, security workers were opening water bottles and spraying them onto the audience, and at the very end of the show, a rainstorm of confetti poured from the ceiling as the crowd went wild.

The singer has made a career out of raw, unapologetic, girl-power anthems. Listeners are either left unmoved or inspired to passionate devotion. She may not be as well known as other British pop singers like Lily Allen, but Diamandis is a force to be reckoned with in the industry and has already had her fair share of controversy, especially surrounding the music video for “How to Be A Heartbreaker,” which caused a stir in the media for its homoeroticism.

This type of attention only proves that the singer is bold and unafraid of making a statement. As is trademark for much European pop music, Marina and the Diamonds’ tracks sound superficial and saccharine-sweet on the surface, but if you really listen to the lyrics, she is anything but shallow. One of the songs she performed from Electra Heart is the single “Primadonna,” in which she channels the unapologetic charisma of Marilyn Monroe, mixing sour and sweet by pairing upbeat music with cutting lyrics like “I know I’ve got a big ego, I really don’t know why it’s such a big deal, though.” With this signature style, Diamandis is flippant in the best possible way.

If you are a perfectionist, a loner, if you feel unloved or unlovable, if you are indecisive or damaged or know how it feels to be completely unsure of who you want to be, Marina and the Diamonds will speak to you. The reason the entire audience was moved enough to sing along was because they could all relate to Diamandis’ messages. The singer’s true talent lies in making us feel understood—“tears and pain, but I feel celestial.”