Noah Bouchard plays his first ever Nottingham show at The Chapel...
Noah Bouchard is an exciting hip-hop artist who I have been following for a number of years. He tends to play live in his current city of London or his native city of Cardiff, so when I found out that he was playing his debut show in Nottingham, I couldn’t wait to go. The opportunity to tick off another Nottingham music venue of The Chapel (above the fantastic Angel Microbrewery) was an added bonus.
Bouchard opened the set with unreleased song Came Close from his upcoming album. It was a strong choice, as the crowd enjoyed the pace and energy of the song. It was one of four unreleased songs from the album - and hearing the songs live has got me very excited for its release. My favourite was Sometimes - a song about loneliness in which the stage lighting matched the darkness of the music.
Much slower than some of his other songs, it also has a more discernible chorus, which I could definitely imagine crowds singing back to him once it’s released. It may have been a risk to play a slower song when the audience don’t already know it, but there was definite enjoyment of Sometimes and it added variety to the set.
There were some released songs for the fans to enjoy too, although Bouchard’s reluctance to play his older songs meant that his biggest hit Pantomime - with 3.2 million streams on Spotify - was omitted. Barbie was one of the more intense songs of the set, it definitely packed more of a punch live than the more chilled sound of its recording.
A highlight of the night was when Bouchard invited special guest Jayahadadream onto stage to perform recent single Wages which they collaborated on. The local artist’s voice contrasted Bouchard’s fantastically to produce a textured sound when the voices combined.
Bouchard’s stage presence was very impressive, as he performed with confidence to provide energy and personality to the music. Whether it was dancing to the backing track, waltzing into the crowd or even performing a verse lying down, he kept the crowd engaged and on their toes throughout the set. He did seem slightly nervous to be playing in a new city, but I’m sure he’s now got lots of new fans in Nottingham after an impressive first performance here.
Noah Bouchard played at The Chapel on 13 May 2023
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