LIVE: Zak Abel, Raleigh Ritchie & Kwabs – Somerset House 17.07.15

The ninth instalment of the Summer Series shows at Somerset House took place on Friday, with a stunning R&B line up of Zak Abel, Raleigh Ritchie and a breath-taking headliner from hotly tipped “one to watch” Kwabs. Wowing crowds with an indulgently varied set list at the open-air venue, Kwabs fermented his spot on everyone’s newly favourite summer playlists.

Starting off the evening was Zak Abel, warming up the crowd for the following proceedings. Probably best known for his vocals on Gorgon City’s summer hit ‘Unmissable’, Zak Abel treated revellers to a dynamic performance of tracks from his own EP, Joker Presents, showcasing his soulful tones and immersive stage presence. A Daniel Beddingfield mash up of ‘Gotta Get Thru This’ and ‘These Are The Days’ shouldn’t have worked, but was a definite highlight to the rising stars warm up performance.

Taking to the stage for the second slot of the evening, nine months after he performed a sold out show at London’s Koko, Raleigh Ritchie – also known as Jacob Anderson – successfully managed to intensify the already buzzed up crowd. Asking people to “dance like nobodies watching” he played his best-known hits including ‘Stronger Than Ever’, ‘The Greatest’ and the undeniably infectious ‘Bloodsport’. With catchy pop hooks blended with his velvety vocals, Raleigh Ritchie’s performance married perfectly with the intimate courtyard settings of Somerset house. The only complaint was that Raleigh simply wasn’t on long enough.

Swiftly following, the much-anticipated Kwabs didn’t disappoint with his headline slot. Playing a selection of new, unfamiliar tracks from his eagerly awaited debut album, Love + War, Kwabs opened his slot with soulful power. Throwing in a few covers (Arctic Monkeys ‘Do I Wanna Know?’ and John Lennon’s ‘Jealous Guy’) and an indulgently intimate moment, as Kwabs sat down and treated the crowd to a breath-taking version of James Blake’s ‘The Wilhelm Scream’. Both stage presence and his knock out vocals allowed Kwabs to hold the audience in the palm of his hand for the majority of his set. Upbeat hits such as ‘Fight For Love’ and ‘Saved’ had the audience dancing, before he returned for a well-deserved encore of his hit single ‘Walk’. Ending on a haunting rendition of his down tempo track ‘Perfect Ruin’, Kwabs left his audience in a mesmerised wake.

Katie Muxworthy
@Katiemux

Katie Muxworthy

Katie Muxworthy

Mainly write and talk shite.
Katie Muxworthy

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