Katie Melua is special.

Reputedly an “adrenaline junkie”, strings to her bow include skydiving, performing underwater at 303 metres below sea level and being the best-selling UK-based female artist in the world in 2007.

On stage at the Dome she captivated the full house with the unprepossessing charm of the girl next door.

Her lyrics are easy-listening and largely evoke lost love, unrequited love and the pain of love. They betray neither her “wild child” character nor her upbringing in politically troubled places like her native Georgia and Northern Ireland, which no doubt inspire her passion.

With a voice like Katie’s – rich, smooth and powerful – she could put on a show with no embellishment. She and her guitar really are more than enough and she is easily forgiven for her slightly awkward dancing, which serves only to underline her natural talent as a gifted singer.

However, she performed her set, including tracks from her first three records and her new album The House, against an ever-changing multimedia backdrop: the red balloons floating in a fluffy blue and white sky were a straightforward accompaniment to Red Balloons; muscular Neanderthal javelin throwers in loincloths perhaps bore a less obvious connection to Flood.

Special attention given to lighting effects paid off, creating an atmosphere colourful enough to celebrate her accomplished band of musicians who, competent as they were, only accompanied the star of the show.