Freya Ridings sings from the depths of her soul in a seamless show at Hammersmith Apollo

Freya Ridings’ magnificent performance at Hammersmith Apollo last night could be described in one word: “wow”. Combined with her impeccable skill as a pianist, the artist’s beautiful sultry voice expressed her heartfelt, superbly written songs about passionate love and loss, her delivery evoking genuine raw emotion. With a stellar band on cello, guitar, drums and back-up vocals, the show was a rousing success.

Inspiring the adoring crowd to cheer and sing along, Ridings’ fervid, ardent ballads were mesmerising: the stunning, powerful Love Is Fire; the mellow, sentimental, sad You Mean The World To Me; the heart-wrenching Castles – about romantic anxiety, yearning and pain – and the almost hymnal, haunting Maps. Beginning with gentle, soft piano and cello and rising to a feverish crescendo, the moving Elephant showcased the artist’s superb vocal range. A brilliantly written Poison – again about love’s longings and torment – is a captivating, wistful piece that starts with soft piano and morphs into a vigorous drumbeat, frenzied strings and electrifying chords by Ridings. On guitar, she enchanted with her bluesy Unconditional, and with a gorgeous melody, Lost Without You – her first single and the top hit for 2018 from a new British female artist – is one of her most poignant and charming works.

An intriguing setting accentuated the singer’s talents: centre-stage on piano, she looked angelic as glowing lights beamed up behind her. Band members played on multiple platforms around her, which bestowed a textured quality to the layout, while dynamic lights flashed with the music, yielding a dramatic effect.

Ridings’ amazing creative acumen and control – with a voice that seems to flow like a river from deep and sultry to a delicate falsetto, seamlessly modulated, apparently intuitively inspired and seeming to emanate from the depths of her soul – harnesses a musical ability that promises tremendous future potential for an already outstanding talent.

Catherine Sedgwick
Photos: Virginie Viche

For further information and future events visit Freya Ridings’s website here.

Watch the video for Love Is Fire here: