This handpicked line up by RAYE was a fruitful selection of artists that complimented the final main stage performance. Smaller artists such as Nia Smith, MYA MEHMI and Absolutely showcased their talents in DJ sets as well as playing their own original songs to fresh audiences.
One of the earlier main stage performances was JADE, a prior Little Mix member, who showcased her more personal sound in songs such as ‘IT girl’ and ‘Midnight Cowboy.’ The metallic set with her two piece tracksuit represented the current modernity of the pop scene. It dipped into a world of sass and strut whilst also giving the crowd throwbacks such as ‘Shout Out to My Ex’ and ‘Touch.’ JADE’s set was easy to enjoy and jump to, though with this comes a slight vacancy and lack of initiative, without much separation from other pop artists like Dua Lipa or Madison Beer.
Tyla’s main stage performance was accompanied by a range of dancers that filled in the interludes between songs. Tyla curated a party for herself on stage, where the dancers had drinks and their own dance circle as she was singing. This encouraged the crowd to ride the ‘We Wanna Party’ wave with her. Although this laid back choice embodied Tyla’s dance music, some of the stylistic choices lacked shape. Much of her set felt less like a performance because of this, though the crowd were still hyped to hear the hits ‘Water’ ‘Truth or Dare’ and ‘Push 2 Start’ nonetheless.
After Doechii’s last minute cancellation, FKA twigs stepped in to replace her set time that raised an aggravation amongst fans. Doechii is renowned for being a hard core performer, and FKA twigs stepped up to this mark with her artistic vision, performing in three acts with an army of dancers and a metal frame. Each section was marked by a change of appearance. Twigs used clothing and accessories to costume each set of songs, changing them on stage often with her mic still in hand. This was particularly striking in the second act where she was dressed in a red wig, in contrast to the rest of the performance. ‘FKA twigs embraces the weirdness and esotericism of the human experience. In ‘Eusexua’ her unearthly vocals were paired with silhouetted dancers that moved uncannily and fluidly whilst hanging upside down or off the side of the set.
FKA twigs is a unique visionary, who surrenders her body to her sound through complex choreography and performance, particularly in ‘Drums of Death’ where she contorted her body on and around a chair. Considering this last minute replacement, FKA twigs should be applauded for her hypnotic performance as well as her commitment to her craft.
The festival closed with RAYE’s performance which was rich in authenticity and captivation. The set mimicked a 1960s jazz bar where her band and backing singers filled the stage to enrich her performance. Against the deep red background hung a marquee-esque sign, reading her name. These stylistic choices assisted Raye in transporting the crowd into her world of blues, rage and soul.
Despite her album ‘My 21st Century Blues’ falling under the pop genre, her set was a body of jazz renditions with big brassy saxophone endings and full body riffs.
It’s no surprise that RAYE has such a love affair for jazz music, as her presence on stage embodies the raw melancholia and soulful profundity that lie at the very roots of soul and jazz music. RAYE’s ability to transform pain into art was particularly striking in her song ‘Ice Cream Man’ where she sings of her experience of sexual abuse. Prior to the song, RAYE spoke about her experience, her powerful words acted as a remedy for both herself and many in the audience; her message being “music is medicine”.
The performance was both polished in production and free-flowing in artistic decision. For example, RAYE took the time to talk conversationally to the crowd multiple times and spoke to a 69 year-old fan to transport them back to the jazz scene, in the cover ‘Man’s World.’
Her performance of ‘Flip A Switch’ was showcased in the former half of the setlist. The song has a bite to it that is similar to RAYE’s more earlier singles with lyrics like “Black heels, black shades that my energy, tell him I’m dead if he callin’ me.” This rendition walked the line between RAYE’s jazz style and her more RnB and rap sound. This is was cleverly used as a transition into her older song ‘Decline’, feeding with the lyrics ‘b*tch like me, I just had to flip the switch on” into “I was always there for you oh, I was always on time and I gave you my all so now you call, I decline.”
Despite RAYE herself mentioning her love for dramatized musical pieces, no part of her performance was veneered with the need to perform. All of her songs from ‘Worth It’ to ‘Escapism’ were raw with emotional depth that were seamlessly expressed in her timeless vocals. ‘Worth It’ began with RAYE riffing back and forth with a saxophonist, and further freestyling into melodies that hijacked the original tune. This had a similar essence to the iconic Amy Winehouse, which is a talent hard to replicate.
Words by Louella Venus
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