Live Review: Rachel Chinouriri - Koko, London 06/03/2024
It’s not often a performer moves me to tears as much as they make me wanna bop, but as I stood listening to Rachel Chinouriri at her biggest show to date on Wednesday night, I found myself welling up.
The Croydon born and bred singer delivered a dreamy, authentic and career-so-far defining performance at Koko, singing her trademark blend of heartbreak and hope, with a clear underlying message: embrace love in all its glory… Oh and delete Hinge and block that guy that isn’t good for you.
The 25-year-old singer effortlessly flowed through her ever-growing catalogue of ethereal, romantic and raw indie ballads, blending earlier favourite hits with new tracks from upcoming album What A Devastating Turn Of Events.
Her modern and real take on life, modern romance and situation-ships had the audience chuckling and in their feels in the same beat, as she peppered her performance with jokes dating advice:
“Next piece of advice from me. Double check if you fancy them cause you might just be lonely,” she said, before she launched into crowd favourite bangers, like 2023’s ‘Maybe I’m Lonely’.
Her inner world was opened up on stage, not just through her poetic words, but also courtesy of a super fun set design. She playfully sat, lay on and walked around a mock tiny living room, complete with home ornaments.
There was a little London street scene complete with a red post box, which fans had filled with letters earlier in the evening. Chinouriri’s tracks are heavily autobiographical and the set design gave a satisfying nod to the importance of her world on her songwriting and storytelling.
The iconic Camden venue was packed with an army of adoring fans for the up and coming indie queen - or as she liked to call them ‘old darlings’ and ‘new darlings’.
Throughout the evening she mused over the power of love: ‘it’s the one thing that keeps us together. In this room, the energy we carry today, it’s the first and last time we’ll feel this energy in this room.”
At one point, she ponders how ‘Tomorrow is never promised’ and urges ‘every person in this room to tell people you love them’. ‘My Blood’ and ‘So My Darling’ were emotional releases for the singer, as she gushed about her pride and love for her family, including her parents who had flown over from Zimbabwe and one of her oldest friends, Marcus, who was in the crowd.
The Brit School graduate welled up at one point and was overcome with emotion as she reflected on her career so far. It felt like we were witnessing a talented artist realise their magic and moment in real time, as screams of her name filled the air in awe and support.
This energy in the room and the crowd reached fever pitch as she passionately delivered two of her arguably most popular songs ‘Never Need Me’ and ‘All I Ever Asked’ - modern indie hits in their finest form and songs that deserve to be on a festival main stage. At the encore she smiled at the audience and said: “I look at you guys like cute little gems and I wanna keep you all in my pocket’.
And what an audience it was, they were the most engaged crowd I’d seen in a long time, hanging on Chinouriri every word, move and hair flick.
To conclude the triumphant hour-long set, she sang an acoustic version of ‘Pocket’, another unreleased track from her new album.
Her crystal clear voice illuminating her shining ‘gems’, who sparkled back with joyful applause, smiling faces and outreached hands. An absolute homegrown diamond, we expect to see her career only get more glittering as time goes on.
Words by Monique Hall
Photography provided by InsideOut Agency / Credit: Lauren Harris
