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Review: RY X, St Thomas the Martyr
Australian singer-songwriter Ry Cuming has been a busy man the past few years. Originally releasing (slightly boring) acoustic pop music under his own name, a quiet period saw a metamorphosis from crooning surfer boy into a mysterious, murmuring shaman, dropping his somewhat unfortunate surname for the ever enigmatic ‘X’. The 2013 single Berlin, hauntingly fragile with its hushed falsetto and reverb-heavy guitar, received widespread acclaim and showcased his evolution into a much darker, edgier sound.
After touring extensively with the collaborative electronica piece The Acid (who sound exactly like what you’d expect from a band called The Acid), Cuming returned to focussing on his solo work, releasing his debut album Dawn earlier in 2016. His UK tour has seen him playing a string of dates at churches across the country, with the Redcliffe church St Thomas the Martyr his chosen sanctum for Bristol.
Candles are lit, the audience files into the pews and the last of the sunlight shines through the windows above as a four-piece band plays the opening of Shortline. Dressed all in black, RY X walks between them and, from the first line, his voice resonates soulfully over the congregation. Cuming has honed his sound, using minimalistic effects and percussion to build swelling soundscapes, with sparse dance beats on Deliverance full of aching and urgency.
is needed now More than ever
The church is a perfect venue, with the band’s strings and choral vocals sounding appropriately holy, along with the religious overtones of lyrics such as “We let love like water to wine / We let love be the higher design” on Salt and the refraining proclamation of “Hold me love/So I can keep from hiding” on Hold Me Love. Cuming appears preacher-like himself, hands clasped in gratitude and describing everything as beautiful: his band, the crowd, the church, the city. Perhaps that’s what living in LA does to you.
Receiving a standing ovation (certainly for the great music and not because of the unforgiving pews) RY X returns for an encore of Only, a sorrowful acoustic number that echoes rapturously. Hallelujah.
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