Human singer wows the Nottingham massive...
Reading online about Rag‘n’Bone Man before the show, I’d realised something - people love this guy. So after grabbing a disgustingly watered down Coke and settling into the crowd the excitement was hitting.
After his breakthrough hit single Human went crazy in 2016 you might expect the singer to be big-headed with fame, but despite his success he has to be the humblest performer with such a large following that I have ever seen.
Gi3mo opened the show, combining rap sounds underlaid with a great mixture of samples and heavy beats. Recording the whole thing on their phones, the group alternated between rapping, drinking with the crowd and taking a break every now and again to remind us that t-shirts would be on sale outside. After only so many times you get the hint.
The anticipated Dan Caplen then made his way on stage. Taking inspiration from soul and R&B influences, the singer still had the feel good vibe of pop, especially my personal favourite song Badman.
All this time the name Rag’n’Bone Man had been splashed across the stage in big black and white font. The massive applause when he came on stopped dead when he began to sing. Starting off with a slow bluesy version of St James' Infirmary, the singer held an incredible presence on stage. Then the lights began, their use in this show was so perfect; red, blue, white, flashing and slow, the lights correlated with the style, feel and pace of song. Every single touch seeming controlled and pointed. The songs varied from utterly sincere to fun.
He was sweet, powerful and in the words of my friend a ‘complete badass’. Sharing songs from his debut album Human, released earlier this year, we were all having a really good time, dancing on the booths, singing the lyrics back. I found a love for Odetta and when performed this evening. He enjoyed people singing along, constantly smiling and expressing his gratitude. So much that you could feel the room loving him. Telling personal stories about his grandma and old friends, Rag‘n’Bone Man didn’t just feel like a famous face anymore, but instead a genuine person.
Rag‘n’Bone Man played at Rock City on Wednesday 26 April 2017.
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