Prefacing the release of her long-awaited album Good Riddance, Gracie Abrams embarks on a mini-series of stripped-back, acoustic gigs, ending with an intimate show in Nottingham’s The Level...
Gracie’s latest release Where do we go now gives fans insight into the gentle vulnerability of Good Riddance, as she demonstrates her ethereal vocals against a backdrop of hypnotic beats. Through a kaleidoscope of delicately crafted lyrics, the singer-songwriter embodies the sense of displacement which follows the breakdown of a relationship supposed to last forever.
Fans saw Gracie kick off the show with her latest track, establishing what she promised to be “probably the most informal show you will ever go to”. By starting at the very end, artist and audience embarked upon a journey back in time, as fans swayed gratefully to an artfully deceptive, upbeat tempo. From the get-go, Gracie established an atmosphere of shared vulnerability, as performer and spectator were permitted space to be wholly candid.
Humble Gracie bestowed the audience with her earnest friendship, punctuating each song with her gratitude towards unwavering fan support. She expressed her delight towards the types of unlikely friendships which can only be formed through the shared torture of a freezing-cold queue outside the venue – “I see you all as my friends and it makes me so happy when you get to form friendships with each other…that’s what it’s all about”.
The singer graced us with fan-favourite tracks Feels Like and 21, in which her breathy vocals were tenderly echoed by the audience. Though it was her performance of unreleased track Amelie which brought the room to a feeling of perpetual stand-still; an invitation to stay forever in a moment of heart-breaking melodies and soulful acoustics.
Gracie Abrams possesses the ability to dedicate an individual performance to each-and-every person in the room, painting a sincere depiction of what it is to be. Onstage, she wrestles introspectively with her own experiences of love, loss, betrayal, and insecurity, or as she so poetically puts it, “sharing my deepest darkest thoughts and secrets”. These growing pains serve as the emotional kindling from which Good Riddance blazes with captivating ferocity.
Through the intimacy of such a small venue, I was forced to acknowledge my presence in such a special collective moment, a feeling that was only to be experienced by a handful of people. Though she has rightfully garnered a sizeable fanbase in her own right, there felt to be a sense among all of us that Gracie Abrams dances upon the threshold of super-stardom, as she is set to open for Taylor Swift on her upcoming Eras tour. To be among her audience was to experience the calm before an emotional trailblazer of a storm.
Her laid-back Nottingham debut saw Gracie lead fans down a trajectory of painfully real lyrical tales about growing up, a path which felt familiar to everyone in the room. It seemed poetic, therefore, to end with a rendition of I Miss You, I’m Sorry, the first single from her debut project Minor. Despite the tragically poignant subject matter, Gracie Abrams delivered the final song with a smile, as she becomes the source of light among the darkness for many.
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