Rag'n'Bone Man at Village Underground, gig review: Brilliant nods to classic gospel and swampy blues
Anyone with ears can hear that this guy has an incredible voice
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.There’s a buzz building around Rag'n'Bone man that only looks set to grow as 2016 rumbles on.
Following a raved-about set at The Great Escape, the Brighton-raised artist, born Rory Graham, is playing a sold-out show at Village Underground in London - he strides onto the stage and gets right down to it.
Opener 'Wolves' immediately showcases Graham’s incredible presence - it’s difficult to take your eyes off him as he belts out a note that reverberates down to your toes.
He tends to fall back on one-liners in his choruses - as catchy as they are you feel like he could easily pull out something with more substance - because he definitely has skill as a songwriter as well as a vocalist.
On 'Hell Yeah' there are brilliant nods to classic gospel and swampy blues thanks to his backing vocalists and the song’s themes of the devil, hell and salvation, only made more dramatic by the lights that flood the stage in a bloody shade of red, while his hip hop influences seem to stem from the likes of Nas and D'Angelo when he sings 'Put That Soul On Me'.
While he seems a little shy as he thanks the audience, the moment he begins singing there’s a burst of irrepressible attitude. Occasionally it feels as though he’s overdoing it; it’s clear to anyone with ears that this guy has a phenomenal voice, but it wouldn’t hurt him to hold back on occasions.
Rag'n'Bone Man is big in every sense of the word, but if his trajectory continues at the rate it’s going now, he could be huge.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments