It's not often you write a review and hope people don't read it.

If you were one of the lucky few to get your hands on a Laura Marling ticket for Saturday's show in London or Wednesday's gig in Edinburgh, stop now - there are spoilers ahead.

And if you didn't get through the ticket ballot I don't think you should read my review either, because it's going to make you feel bad.

So now it's just us - and I don't mind telling you watching a singer-songwriter who can silence the Albert Hall perform just four feet away is spellbinding.

Laura Marling's show at the Hebden Bridge Trades Club was announced just two weeks ago, with a small number of tickets going on sale followed by a ticket ballot for the rest the day after, giving a lucky few fans the chance to buy tickets if they were selected.

Four tiny venues host this mini tour - the Trades Club's capacity is 200 - so to be able to see three-time Mercury Award nominee Laura here is a rare treat.

In a room packed with 200 fans who fought for tickets, then struggled through the snow to get to Hebden Bridge, the excitement in the room is tangible.

Laura and her percussionist, bassist and guitarist enter the room in an icy blast from a side door and step onto the stage to huge applause, whoops and screams. The first two songs are new ones - False Hope, and I feel Your Love. Lyrically intricate, emotional and soul-bearing, the new tracks show a development of ideas from her previous album, Once I Was An Eagle - and experiencing this vulnerability in such an intimate venue feels almost voyeuristic.

She follows these new tracks with a foot stomping version of Devil's Spoke from I Speak Because I Can, allaying any fears the audience may have of not getting to hear their treasured favourites - and Laura explains she finds it annoying when bands play only new tracks, so she's tried to strike a balance.

Laura Marling at Hebden Bridge Trades Club, January 28, 2015

Two more new songs follow Devil's Spoke - Warrior, where she's shrugging off someone who's become a burden, and Strange, which is mostly spoken, with a hard edge where she seems to be pushing a needy admirer away - it works well and the contrast with her sparkling voice is arresting.

Master Hunter is next - the first single from Once I Was An Eagle; full of energy and feeling, the lyrics reference Bob Dylan's It Ain't Me Babe, and follow the previous two songs' theme of pushing away unwanted affections.

She performs the next three songs solo; the first, Walk Alone, she tells us was written the first week she moved to Los Angeles and had already realised she wanted to come home. David follows, then What He Wrote from I Speak Because I can. It's powerfully moving and the crowd is enthralled. David is especially beautiful. Emotions well up with the carefully crafted lyrics and as she sings about losing 'an angel' you're right there with her.

Two more tracks from I Speak Because I Can follow - Rambling Man and I Speak; the latter sweeping you along with the changing moods as they intensify.

Another new song, How Can I, is next, and it's a continuation of the theme of losing a loved one as she decides to come home. You're caught up in the disbelief she's feeling at having to live without this person.

Then comes a blues-rock version of Salinas from A Creature I Don't Know, which is said to be inspired by a book about writer John Steinbeck, as is the next song, new track Gurdjieff's Daughter, which Laura explains was written about advice Armenian spiritual teacher George Gurdjieff gave to his daughter, which she passed on through a bizarre encounter with Chilean film-maker Alejandro Jodorowsky.

The final song is the new album's title track, Short Movie, which finishes the show on a strong, vibrant note; full of power, and it's another ode to someone she loves or loved as she seems to be in turmoil about walking away.

There's not much banter with Laura, but when she gives you so much of herself in her lyrics, it's understandable. The emotional vulnerability and turmoil in her words are of a young woman trying to find her way, yet the virtuosity, the flawlessness of her craft, and the quiet confidence she exudes show a maturity that extends way beyond her 24 years.

As Laura develops and takes on new influences and new directions, the comparisons with Joni Mitchell endure, but are unnecessary - she's a songwriting force in her own right.

So if you didn't heed my warnings at the start of this review, you have yourselves to blame. If you're going to Laura's shows in London and Edinburgh, I hope I didn't ruin the surprise. And if you didn't get tickets, I can only apologise. You missed out on something amazing.

  • Short Movie is available from March 23.