Since the release of ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, I knew it was the right choice to go and see RAYE in concert. Hearing snippets of her live before on social media, I had a feeling it was something to not miss out on due to her stage presence and music.

And I was so right.

I went to the first night at CO-OP Live on 17th February, and the moment you stepped into the arena, what was about to happen was obvious. Jazz music in the background, a big red curtain on the stage: this was going to be a celebration of music, not just a performance.

First came Amma, the middle child between RAYE and Absolutely. Her performance was humorous, and her singing was stunning. I hadn’t listened to the support acts’ music before coming so I could be surprised and react in the moment, and I remember being delighted by Amma’s music, especially enjoying ‘Killing Cupid’, her music filled with gorgeous vocals and catchy beats that had me bopping my head. The midsection of finding a middle child in the crowd too was really funny as well, and got the audience hyped up for what was to follow.

Secondly was Absolutely, whose visuals and performance were thrilling. Her music was remarkably orchestral and I had goosebumps from the introduction to ‘No Audience’. Her favouring the performativity created such a beautiful set, and seeing the two sisters separately brought their personalities and uniqueness to life. I will be seeing Absolutely again as a support for Renée Rapp’s Manchester show in March, and can't wait to listen to her music again.

Photos by Elisha Harris - Note by Elisha: Absolutely’s recent album ‘Paracosm’ review upcoming.

Both sisters had a band that the audience got to know, making it feel like an intimate performance just for you. In return, this created such a wonderful feeling where you just couldn't help but shut your eyes and listen to the music. I really hope Amma and Absolutely go onto big, successful music careers after this tour, they really deserve to be known.

And then came on RAYE. Her show combined lots of her well-known older music with music from her new album ‘THIS MUSIC MAY CONTAIN HOPE.’, releasing on the 27th March 2026. And contain hope it did, alongside joy, tears and an overwhelmingly incredible time.

Beginning with the introduction ‘Girl Under a Grey Cloud’ and ‘I Will Overcome’, (with a literal grey cloud in the air!), the story was introduced, about a girl walking through the rain after being in a bar and not being noticed. This story would be set up numerous times throughout the performance and would continue to be engaging as it depicts a struggling artist finding hope towards the end.

She then went straight into her well-known hits such as ‘WHERE IS MY HUSBAND!’, ‘The Thrill is Gone’, and ‘Suzanne’ (my personal favourite RAYE song): all upbeat and fun to sing and dance to. The appearance of a live orchestra in the background, with brass, keys, string and guitar created such an in-the-moment and real performance, ditching the backing track for that authentic performance celebrating music in its entirety. With the rise of AI and computer-generated music, it is such a thrill to see live music performances, especially from big-name artists. RAYE integrates them into her show and storytelling, introducing everyone and showing her true appreciation for every single person who was involved in the creation of her show. Her backing singers too added an element of depth that was the cherry on top of the cake to this visual and auditory performance: I genuinely felt that I had been blessed by music!

We were introduced to new music such as ‘Beware the South London Lover Boy' and ‘The Winter Woman’, both of which are amazing and I’m so sad I won't be hearing until the album. Both incorporate various experiences within the dating-sphere in such theatrical and emotional ways. ‘Beware The South London Lover Boy’ was loud and theatrical, same as ‘HUSBAND’ and the inclusion of an old, comic book style visual on the screens with the titular Lover Boy in a mask was hilarious, adding an element of humour and excitement to the song. ‘The Winter Woman’ was beautiful and orchestral, including a short snippet of Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘Winter’ at the end from the violinist, really gut-punching you with the emotional exterior the song has to offer. Overlapping vocals create the feeling of anxiety piling in your mind and how it feels never-ending, making you pray alongside the speaker for warmer days to come; I did not want this song to end, though.

And then ‘Genesis, pt. ii’, another one of my favourite RAYE songs. I so wish she played the entire 7 minutes as I love the inclusion of the jazz section at the end, which would have transitioned so smoothly into the jazz club section that followed, but I will not complain as I am so happy ‘Genesis’ was featured. More ‘Genesis’ appreciation from the charts, please! I think I love the song more now that I have heard it live (I think that applies to all the songs though!).

And the jazz club section, which takes us through the story of a woman lost on the streets in the early hours of the morning, finding refuge in a comfortable jazz club. RAYE set this up really well, especially through the inclusion of ‘The Winter Woman’, ‘Hard Out Here.’ and ‘Genesis’ before, which builds the atmosphere of fear, hopelessness and upset, which is eventually lifted by the jazz club. Here she sang a cover of ‘Fly Me To The Moon' and a jazzy version of ‘Worth It’ which were amazing. I am a massive fan of jazz music, and you can see how RAYE is really influenced by its artistry. This was my favourite part of the performance, due to how the stage transformed through the use of simple props and changing the location of the musicians to create that more intimate setting, like you were sitting in a jazz club. And we can’t forget the audience participation cards before, leading to a joke about everyone getting out their phones, leading everyone to scan a card that had the QR code for her newest album. Good on you RAYE, you should be able to advertise your new music, even in a venue of 23,000 people. The music industry never ends!

And then, the emotional section: ‘Nightingale Lane’, ‘Ice Cream Man' and ‘I Know You’re Hurting’. I will admit I did cry. ‘Nightingale Lane’, a new song from the album and releasing this Friday (27th February!) was introduced as when you have particular memories tied to locations, this location being the titular Nightingale Lane. Its slow tempo and remarkable vocals felt as though you were in a memory, going down the street as RAYE did and reminiscing on what could have been, but ending on that uplifting note of, yes, somebody, someday, will love me again.

And then ‘Ice Cream Man’. Only RAYE appeared on stage for this one, leaving her playing the piano by herself as she sang this painful song about sexual abuse, not only in adulthood but going back to eleven years old. While uplifting with its message of being a strong woman, RAYE masterfully keeps the music sad and mournful, mourning a life without this experience and how evil people can be, and how hard (and hopeless) it can feel to come forward to tell the truth, being weighed down by the truth. And to add to the sadness, new song ‘I Know You’re Hurting’ was next, delivering a recognition of the pain people mask in their day to day lives. Her speech at the end brought tears, and I will never forget her saying over and over again, “It will be okay.” Her message was so profound, the music gave me goosebumps, and I think I left a part of myself in that moment. I can't wait to hear this again on the album.

We moved to ‘Oscar Winning Tears’, which featured the mesmerising introduction from ‘My 21st Century Symphony. (Live at the Royal Albert Hall)’. The beauty of the strings and the wonder of the brass: it was an experience I can't take back. I had always dreamed of hearing that live, and having the opportunity to do so brought tears to my eyes (though those could be ones still there from ‘I Know You’re Hurting’). Hearing the entire song was such an honour and if I could hear it all again, I would. RAYE’s powerful vocal at the end too was remarkable and swept me off my feet.

Moving into ‘Click Clack Symphony', I really loved the immersion of the high heel clacking sound in the background and the visual that appeared on screen of said high heels. A song about struggling to leave the house and using the party and the opportunity to get dressed as a way of doing so, ending with that line again ‘It Will Be Alright’. The new album is definitely giving a message of hope in a dark time, and I can’t wait to fully listen to it. The immersion of the musicians clicking their heels as well sent the message that everyone struggles at some point in their life, and sometimes we just need an excuse to get out the house and live our lives.

And thus, we move into the rave section, featuring ‘Secrets’, ‘You Don’t Know Me’ and ‘Prada’. Like the speaker in ‘Click Clack Symphony’, we have triumphed over life’s difficulties, and we deserved a party. Reminiscing on RAYE’s origins in music, we all danced, partied and RAYE did a great job of engaging everyone. I wish it lasted longer because of how much fun it was!

Eventually, every brilliant show must come to an end, and that end was ‘Joy’, another new song. The movement into this song was perfect. Throughout the show, we have had moments of pure joy and excitement, but in various snippets, like before the jazz club, ‘Ice Cream Man’ and before the rave section, we experience moments where we feel hopeless, down, and unable to move forward. However, if this show taught me anything, it's that we eventually overcome those feelings of doubt and experience joy again, and that is why the show ends with ‘Joy’. A momentous celebration of all things musical and exciting, leaving us with a positive outlook on life going forward. RAYE brought out her sisters, Amma and Absolutely, to help sing the backing, and while I had to leave early to catch the train home, I was left singing along all throughout the building as we left. This meant unfortunately I didn't get to see Escapism, but looking at clips on TikTok, I am certain it was amazing as the rest of the show was.

So, to sum up, the entire show was displaying the rollercoaster that is being human. We live through moments of excitement and happiness, and then can find ourselves suddenly plummeting into upset and fear, but in these moments, the rainbow appears. Or should I say the RAYENBOW. Pardon the pun, but it's true.

RAYE’s music teaches us that all is not lost, we will be able to leave these moments of loss and fear and triumph as we continue into what’s next. Life is a celebration: we should celebrate everything around us and live this life with an acceptance of who we are. That is what RAYE means to me. And I can't wait to hear the full album on March 27th 2026.