Review: Jordan Rakei, Thekla

Last time I saw Jordan Rakei live in Bristol was back in 2015 supporting Nao. His live set was an understated affair, soulful and jazz-fused, and showed off his talent for vocal-jamming over lo-fi beats. Fast-forward a few years, and you can very much see Rakei’s journey from an artist making beats tucked away in his bedroom in Australia to now. These days he’s living in London working hard to pursue the scene internationally and has just released his second studio album, Wallflower, on Ninja Tune.

The atmosphere was fairly relaxed for a sold-out headline show at the Thekla, however space to get a good view was limited as the crowd quickly packed in tighter to get closer to the front. Jordan, armed with his guitar, took to the stage with his band in tow, kicking things off with the album opener, Eye to Eye. This was a first glimpse of Jordan’s silky voice accompanied by his electric guitar before the band joined in, creating a warm and powerful sound that got heads nodding in appreciation.

This led nicely into the second track of the album, May, a haunting and intensely darker sounding arrangement during which Jordan opened up about his inner demons and hopes turning into fears. From here on things turned up a notch as we were treated to a few of his groovier tracks off the last album including favourites, Blame It on The Youth and The Light. Here the whole band joined in with backing vocal parts, and as a unit they were completely in sync with one another. Jordan’s skills as a multi-instrumentalist shone through not only as talented singer and guitarist but also on the keys taking centre stage to play interesting jazz chords and bass-driven synth parts from his trusty Nord keyboard.

A particularly special moment came right before Jordan played the title track of the album. He thanked the crowd for allowing him to feel comfortable on stage, and being able to talk openly about his battle growing up managing social anxiety. This was met with a huge applause and brought the lyrics “I was just a wallflower” to reality as they echoed round the boat.

The final track and encore of the evening came as Sorceress – a track many in the room knew well. Jordan encouraged the whole room to join in with him as he harmonised and adlibbed over the chorus melody which brought the night to a spectacular finish. He isn’t afraid to do his own thing, doesn’t seemed fazed by having to compromise his sound and isn’t forced to get the crowd pumping on every track. Instead he captures the evening perfectly by elegantly moving between classic neo-soul ballads to funkier harmony driven tracks. His live set and writing is both mature and refreshing, and his stage show has grown and taken on new heights. This is a really exciting time for an artist who has worked hard to craft a sound that is uniquely his.