Live review: Raleigh Ritchie – O2 Kentish Town Forum

Whether it’s his music, his live appearances or just his general demeanour, there’s a huge amount of confidence when it comes to Raleigh Ritchie, and that’s no bad thing whatsoever. As an artist who has worked hard to create an alter-ego away from ‘Jacob Anderson the actor’, the 25 year-old laid down the gauntlet with professionalism as he performed his first London headline show at O2’s Kentish Town Forum last week.

Making his way through his February debut long-player You’re A Man Now, Boy, he fully showcased his worth as a pure artiste. If you’ve been following his story since his early EP-days, you’d probably be one of the many also rooting for his success, and there were clear signs of those supporters at the show – with a mixed-bag of teeny-pop fans all the way through to the more mature music critics out there, Raleigh (or Anderson – both names as talented as the other), managed to entertain all throughout.

Through the ‘lull’ moments (and there were a few, Birthday Girl just doesn’t seem to resonate as well in a live performance as it does on the album), the singer’s cheeky charm kept his audience at bay – perhaps it’s his more realistic approach to life that makes him otherwise stand out from his other homegrown contemporaries. Additionally, quipping “You’ve no idea how happy it makes me to hear you singing my songs back to me” delivers a further sense of meaningfulness, and realisation that whilst still early-on in his career, he genuinely cared and appreciated every single person in attendance.

Ultimately though, it’s Anderson’s more well-known (and often mid/up-tempo) numbers that shine through the most. A finale of Stronger Than Ever and The Greatest solidified not only his ability to completely direct a crowd, but also showcased his precision as a performer; it’s an achievement to keep the energy levels so high over an hour into a set, yet the youngster did it with ease, and sent his audience home on an absolute high – essentially the one emotion that every gig-goer should be leaving with.

You’re A Man Now, Boy is out now on iTunes/Apple Music: