Photo: Press
"I'm giving everything to you tonight... so you need to give everything back alright?" Raury's attempts to whip up an intimate crowd filled with 90 per cent industry types is a commendable effort, and something not even the world's biggest artists can achieve, let alone an 18 year old at his debut show in London.
Nevertheless, his excitement to be playing a headline gig in the UK is totally understandable, with the last three or so months seeing this kid from Atlanta blow up in unimaginable ways. What started with a simple video for 'God's Whisper' appearing online has developed into Raury becoming a defining figure for teenage with rebellion, collaborations with the likes of SBTRKT and The Neighbourhood already under his belt and a support slot with Outkast that saw him play to 20,000 people in his hometown.
Obviously, The Red Galleries in Shoreditch is a bit of a more subdued affair, just 300 or so people in an East London artspace, however Raury treats it like the arenas he will no doubt inhabit if his trajectory stays on point.
After showing guerrilla footage of the self proclaimed 'indigo child' buying a chocolate bar in the shop round the corner from the venue, his remarkably tight band lead in with mixtape opener 'War pt 1', roaring into a rapturous version of the visceral 'Chariots of Fire'. It is in these early moments that Raury proves himself as a performer, embracing the heights this setup takes his sound to with 'Smooth Criminal' era Jackson-esque dance moves and on-point live vocals which travel through into mixtape highlight 'Superfly', introducing himself by exclaiming "My name is Raury and I make music for the rebels, the dreamers and the underdogs".
From then on, things get confusing. Covering Outkast's 'B.O.B' makes for an enjoyable nod of his now signature hat to his city's musical legacy, but a later rendition of 'Bohemian Rhapsody' is bonkers, especially when he already has a wealth of strong material to work from himself. The likes of 'Cigarette Song' and 'Wildfire' resonate well with the crowd though, a testament to his musical ability, adept songwriting talent and the broad range of inspirational grounding on his debut release.
Naturally, breakthrough track 'God's Whisper' sees the biggest response, with water being thrown around the room and Raury himself crowdsurfing with glee (something which is repeated to the letter with his swift encore). Throughout the 60 minute set he proves that the hype is without doubt justified, bringing the endless sense of energy one expects from someone so exciting on record.
A brave mix of calculation and chaos, Raury's performance was one of the most intriguing sets we've seen in a long time, with his sheer presence as an artist on stage and wealth of hits perhaps overshadowing the self-indulgence that ensued from an overly long set (10 minutes of which was spent signing vinyl for fans in the front row).
Nevertheless, if he can hone things down in the coming months, 2015 could see Raury effortlessly become a force to be reckoned with in the hip hop world, the generation-defining figure his sound and visual brand has always tempted.
