More about: Fred Again

Known for his diary-like approach to music-making, Fred again.. amalgamates fragments of life into sonic tapestries. The musician and producer has built a huge following by collecting voice notes and pieces of the everyday and melding them with electronic beats, often exultant, sometimes melancholy and moving. 

The BBC Sound of 2023 artist played the first of three sold-out homecoming shows at iconic south London venue, O2 Brixton Academy. The last run of dates after an extensive US, UK and Europe tour this autumn, there were incredible levels of hype around Fred’s shows, and tickets sold out in mere minutes.

Cut to Fred again..’s first Brixton show. As fans streamed inside, they were welcomed into a red glow that completely bathed the venue’s interior. 

Joy Anonymous got the crowd warmed up with a set that lasted a full hour - an unusual amount of time for a support slot. Fred made his appearance at 9pm, opening with ‘Kyle (i found you)’ from his first album, Actual Life, released in 2020.

In his comprehensive stage set up, Fred had a piano, drum pads, a laptop and mic. Behind him, two rectangular videos would play in red or blue grading, showing everyday moments he has experienced or seen, from walks in the park to couples holding hands, people dancing in the streets and sunsets around the world. 

Words written by Fred flash up on the screen. “I’ve grown up going to this venue and it’s my favourite venue in the world. This is HOME. So yeah this is totally unreal to me”. The room is submerged in a blue light as Fred begins ‘Bleu (better with time)’, a track from Actual Life 3, featuring a vocal clip from Alabama rapper, Yung Bleu. 

Pop artist Tate McRae appears on the screen as Fred transitions into playing ‘Tate (how i feel)’ from Actual Life 2. Only after does he pause to take a breath as the crowd erupts into rapturous applause. He tells the room that the gig is the “honour of his life”.

The energy kicks up a notch for ‘Kammy (like i do)’, and Fred moves from sitting at the piano to standing over the drum pad. On huge tune ‘Jungle’, a Rico Nasty vocal sample, the bass reverbs so hard throughout the room you can feel it your chest. 

Fred then switches to drum and bass for one of his biggest bangers, ‘Turn On The Lights again..’ as LED lights flash. 

Throughout the show, there’s a live stream of Fred on the drum pad in black and white on the screens behind him. As with his viral Boiler Room set, Fred emits a great deal of passion and concentration; absolutely laser focused. 

Fred again.. brings out a host of friends for his shows. Faisal makes an unexpected appearance on stage for their song ‘Faisal (envelops me)’. Romy, having watched from the crowd, joins Fred for a rendition of their recent song ‘Strong’. Towards the end of the gig, Winnie Raeder sits at the piano with Fred as they wind things down with a moving performance of ‘Winnie (end of me)’. Over the next two shows, Headie One and BERWYN also joined Fred on stage for their collaborative tracks. 

Fred manages to play seemingly all of his biggest songs throughout the show, playing cuts from all three albums including ‘Dermot (see yourself in my eyes)’ and ‘Clara (the night is dark)’ as well as a surprise remix of Frank Ocean’s ‘Chanel’. He merges this with ‘Sabrina (i am a party)’, built from a spoken word poem called ‘Explaining My Depression to My Mother’ by Sabrina Benaim. 

There’s unrivalled energy from the crowd for ‘Marea (we’ve lost dancing)’, his breakthrough pandemic single with The Blessed Madonna. Dozens climb on the shoulders of their friends as Fred closes out with ‘Delilah (pull me out of this)’; a fan cam in the audience pulling a sea of faces up on the screens. 

Fred ended his set with ‘Billie (Loving Arms)’. Beginning as an acoustic piano number, he encouraged everyone to shine their phone torches to create a sea of stars. Needless to say, everyone knew the words. 

An often euphoric showcase of his varied work and prolific collaborations, Fred again..’s homecoming show was more than just a gig, it was a whole experience. 

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More about: Fred Again