Freya Ridings Brings Songwriting Soul To Rescue Rooms, Nottingham

There are a select few artists in any music fan’s life that can capture something within them, so immediately and ardently, that the listener becomes hooked before the end of that very first song. I had listened to all of one verse of Lost Without You before I decided the Freya Ridings was irrevocably going to be one of these artists for me.

Freya Ridings at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham 19/10/2018. (Ruby Gaunt)

Freya Ridings at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham (Ruby Gaunt)

A BRIT school graduate and daughter of actor and musician Richard Ridings, Freya Ridings has the background of a star in the making. Having released her debut single, Blackout in May 2017, she then released a deeply loved cover as her next single, Maps, a cover of the legendary Yeah Yeah Yeahs that has garnered over one million streams on Spotify since it’s release in June 2017. In September 2017, she then released her debut live album Live at St Pancras Old Church, a wonderfully reverb-filled, ambient album.

After releasing the album she went on to her first full headline tour in the UK and spent the rest of 2017 supporting the likes of Tears for Fears, and Lewis Capaldi.She then released Lost Without You on 3 November 2017, which peaked at number 9 in the UK Singles Chart, after being featured on the reality show Love Island. It was subsequently chosen by Scott Mills’ as his ‘Tune of the Week’ on Radio 1. She released her second live album, Live at Omeara on 30 March 2018.

Her gig at Rescue Rooms in Nottingham was her first in the city, a small and humble affair in comparison to the first night of her tour, which had been at the Shepherds Bush Empire. That being said, I do not believe this at all diminishes the power with which Ridings can fill a room with atmosphere.

When I first saw her play, it was early this year at the Union Chapel in Islington on her first tour and while it is quite contrast in terms of venue, I principally noticed that the songs have grown in their production value as much as her confidence has grown in her performance.

She plays with such reverent earnest and gentle youthfulness, with songs mostly about the yearning of youthful heartache (Lost Without You) and the triumph of realising that you deserve better (Castles).

The majority of Ridings’ music is, thus far, unreleased other than in live performance recording format, as her studio album is eagerly awaited. It is therefore a true testament to the infectiousness of her soulful voice and relatable writing that quite a number of the audience seemed to know the words to every song.

She opened her show at Rescue Rooms with Love is Fire, a bold and paced song that sticks in your head and truly showcases the power in Ridings’ voice, followed by You Mean The World to Me, which Ridings confessed she always liked to dedicate to her mother, whom she informed the crowd is a Midlands native. She parted with her piano only long enough for Unconditional, her only song so far played on the guitar, which she proclaims to be one of her ‘few happy love songs’. She then, of course, also played the very first song she ever released, Blackout, along with Maps and a lesser played song she wrote called Holy Water.

Her most known track after its television and radio attention, Lost Without You, was received to a round of cheers, followed by one crowd member’s cry of “Congratulations on your Top 10!” Ridings, humbly, seemed baffled that someone in a city in which she had never played before would know about the fact her single had made it to Number 9 on the charts.

She parted with her most recent single, Ultraviolet, which is now performed with wonderful layered harmonies, all which hinting at the potentially richly layered debut album that is in the making.

For millennia, journalists and artists alike have been trying to pick apart and replicate what precisely it is that gives some music that tangible thing to it, while the rest fades back into the mental filing cabinet titled ‘One Hit Wonders’, and I do not for one minute claim to have an answer. All I know is, after watching Ridings at her piano multiple times now, listening to the honesty of her songwriting, I am certain that, whatever this tangible thing is, Freya Ridings has it.

Freya Ridings’ single LOST WITHOUT YOU is out now via Good Soldier Songs.

Live Review by India Meade, photography by Ruby Gaunt of Freya Ridings at Rescue Rooms, Nottingham on 19th October 2018

Wyatt Flores @ Roundhouse (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

Wyatt Flores Brings Honest Heart And Sharp Style To London’s Roundhouse

On a crisp October night at London’s Roundhouse, Wyatt Flores stepped onto the stage to a roaring crowd, his name echoing around the vaulted room with a force that surprised even him. Supporting 49 Winchester on their UK run, the Oklahoma-born singer-songwriter might technically have been the opener, but from the reaction that greeted him, it was clear many had come just as much for Wyatt.

49 Winchester @ Roundhouse (Henry Finnegan / @finneganfoto)

From Russell County To Camden Town: 49 Winchester’s Triumphant Roundhouse Performance

Virginia’s 49 Winchester transformed Camden’s Roundhouse into a celebration of straight-from-the-heart Americana. Early in the set, frontman Isaac Gibson acknowledged to the audience that this was the band’s first sold-out night on the tour and the response from the crowd made clear how much the moment meant to everyone in the room.

Echobelly @ Electric Ballroom (Kalpesh Patel)

Echobelly Bring ON To Life At The Electric Ballroom – A Triumphant Celebration Of Britpop’s Enduring Spirit

It’s been three decades since Echobelly released ON, the Britpop-era gem that cemented them as one of the most vital and distinctive voices of the mid-90s. On Thursday night at London’s Electric Ballroom, the band — fronted by the magnetic Sonya Madan and founding guitarist Glenn Johansson — returned to Camden to celebrate that legacy, playing the album in full to a sold-out crowd that sang, swayed, and grinned their way through one of the most joyous nostalgia trips of the year.

Not Naïve – The Kooks Are Always Where They Need To Be At London’s O2 Arena

Brighton Indie Pop darlings The Kooks played quite possibly the biggest and best show of their 20 year career at The O2 Arena on Saturday night. A night of nostalgia, of celebration and of cementing themselves as one of the best British bands formed in the 21st century.

Jordan Pundik of New Found Glory @ O2 Academy Birmingham (Nick Allan)

New Found Glory Never Miss, Only Hit At O2 Academy Birmingham

There’s something about a New Found Glory show that feels like coming home. No matter how many years have passed or how much life has changed, when those opening chords hit, you’re right back where it all started — shouting lyrics with your friends, sweaty, smiling, and completely lost in the moment.

Remember Monday @ Latitude Festival 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Remember Monday Return With New Single ‘More Than Ever’ Ahead Of Headline UK Tour

Country-pop trio Remember Monday continue their breakout year with the release of their new single More Than Ever, co-written with GRAMMY® winner and chart-topping artist Cian Ducrot. The track arrives just as the band kick off their highly anticipated What The Hell Just Happened? UK and Ireland headline tour, which culminates at London’s iconic O2 Shepherd’s Bush Empire.

Davina Michelle Launches Empowering New Era With ‘What A Woman’

Dutch pop sensation Davina Michelle has released her brand-new single What A Woman, an empowering anthem that celebrates the strength, intelligence, and individuality of women everywhere. The track arrives alongside a striking new music video, introducing a bold new chapter for one of the Netherlands’ most successful modern pop artists.

Ash Share Video for ‘Ad Astra’ Featuring Graham Coxon

Northern Irish alt-rock stalwarts Ash have shared the video for their latest single Ad Astra, featuring Blur’s Graham Coxon, taken from their brand-new album of the same name — out now on Fierce Panda Records.