More about: Griff

"I’ve been here before, stood somewhere over there. But when you’re up here, it’s like...'woah'. It doesn’t compare.”

It has been a year since 21-year-old Griff—born Sarah Griffiths—won the coveted Rising Star Award at the BRITs, and tonight she is proving her worth. Winning such an award (with those previously crowned including Adele and Sam Smith) during a global pandemic means that her rise may not have been quite as meteoric as others, but that hasn’t hindered the Hertfordshire native. Tonight she is playing a sold out show at Brixton Academy with a legion of fans enamoured by her performance.

It's easy to forget this is her second ever tour, as she commands the crowd like a conductor, fans mesmerised by every movement. The show begins with the singer-songwriter silhouetted behind a dramatic drop-curtain, showcasing her stellar vocals right off the bat for the woozy percussion-heavy 'Heart Of Gold'. It isn’t long before the curtain is gone and Griff’s effervescent energy bounds around the stage, hoop skirt swaying along. Backed by a drummer and keyboardist, she makes her way through tracks from her various EPs and mixtapes including One Foot In Front Of The Other, released in 2021. Written, recorded and produced almost entirely by herself during lockdown, it reads like a collection of personal journal entries detailing the highs and lows of life.

Projections dance across a screen behind throughout, beautifully blending intimacy and theatrics. A particularly poignant moment sees the singer sat at a piano for 'Good Stuff', flooded in spotlights and accompanied by a sea of phone lights. It is here when the scale of the show is truly realised. The tenderness doesn’t last long though, as Griff then launches into her mixtape’s namesake. It is an impressive feat to switch so effortlessly between heart wrenching ballads and glittery pop bangers, but the rising star has it down pat. At times the whole thing feels more like a one-woman theatre show than a live gig, perhaps most so during ‘Remembering My Dreams’ as the singer dances alongside a glitterball version of herself to roaring cheers. It is a simple yet powerful production, beautifully blending intimacy and theatrics. Much to the delight of adoring fans.

Griff is a popstar beyond her years, with an intoxicating stage presence and a talent to match. “We’ll do one more if that’s cool,” she declares 13 songs in, to echoing approval. One final singalong erupts for 'Black Hole' as an audience member hands over a bouquet of flowers. As the lights come up and the crowd is left to relish in the pure joy radiating throughout Brixton, you can’t help but wish for more. As Griff’s popularity grows, and her repertoire builds, it’s only bigger and better for this rising popstar.

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More about: Griff