Earlier this year, Raye delivered an unforgettable headline show between the exposed brick walls of East London’s modestly sized venue, XOYO. Tonight, just three months on, the pop-star-in-waiting stands before the looming, cavernous space of Heaven– a venue that could fit XOYO twice over, and then some. Considering the fact that the South-Londoner has been pretty quiet on the release front during that handful of months, the catapult is no mean feat. As expected she rises to the occasion triumphantly.
Kicking off proceedings with cuts from her debut EP, ‘Shh’ and ‘Distraction’ sound even more lethal and electrifying with the addition of live drums. The set takes a turn from the pop-glazed-urban of SECOND to showcase new effervescent cuts ‘My Girl’ and ‘The Lion’, where Raye proves she can have just as much fun with bubble-gum pop as she bounces around the stage, infecting the crowd with her energy. The outrageously fun cover of Britney’s ‘Womaniser’ that follows is point in case. Hits aside, there’s something to be said for the stripped-back section that dissects the set; her awe-inspiring vocals on solo piano ballad ‘Through The Night’ silence the room and reassures any naysayers that there’s more to her music than slick production.
From her new chart-destined material to her loveable larger-than-life stage presence, every aspect of the show tonight points to Raye’s inevitable stardom– which is surprising to no one but herself. Introducing the Jax Jones collaboration that put her on the map, Raye admits that they had no idea of the attention it would garner. “Not going to lie, we just did it for the money…” she giggles. While roof-raiser ‘You Don’t Know Me’ was the catalyst in getting her to this stage, the leap to bigger venues is reflective of the unstoppable upward trajectory she’s been on from the very beginning.
