Synth chords drone and the figure of Rae Morris appears on stage to sing opener Push Me To My Limits in a chirruping voice, moving birdlike within a cage of neon. Reborn follows and her arms unfold like the wings of a phoenix, her voice rising over the marching beats and pulsing electronics.
This is a very different Rae Morris to that of her debut album. Songs from 'Unguarded' still pepper the setlist, but with her new album 'Someone Out There' she's truly found her voice, her confidence. Her sense of fun.
She steps out from behind the piano and dances along to the frothy pop of Do It, the buoyant Atletico (The Only One), the energetic Dip My Toe. The techno menace of Rose Garden erupts into a full-on rave at the end. Her lyrics are fuelled by sexuality, her stage presence a vision of liberation. Her song Dancing With Character might be a tender portrayal of an old couple from her hometown, but it equally applies to her own balletic movement on-stage.
The serious side of Rae Morris does remain. She sits behind the piano for the delicate Morne Fortuné and returns at the end for a short rendition of Don't Go. There's a sense of gothic drama too - the stunning Wait For The Rain begins with a thunderstorm. She's an eccentric performer with a voice of guttural, ethereal beauty: bubbly pop with more than a hint of Björk, Bat for Lashes and Kate Bush.
But when the music stops, she remains that sweet, polite girl from Blackpool, sipping on tea, overwhelmed by the audience's adoration. "This is crazy," she exclaims as the crowd erupt in cheers; "I can't tell you how full my heart feels," she says by the gig's end.
As she closes with the anthemic Someone Out There, the hearts of the crowd are equally full. Rae Morris is a lovable persona on-stage. Whether addressing the audience, sat behind a piano, or dancing as she sings, she is never less than her authentic self. That carefree confidence is infectious.
4/5
