Freya Ridings - Live Review

Saturday night at New Theatre Oxford had a real buzz about it, and that energy held for the whole evening. This was the second-to-last night of Freya Ridings' UK leg of the Mother of Pearl tour, with the Royal Albert Hall booked for Monday, so the show had the feel of a stop near the end of a long run.

The audience was a real mix of ages, with younger fans sitting alongside people who have clearly been following Ridings since the beginning. Large shell structures surrounded the stage, changing colour with the lighting from song to song, which suited the Mother of Pearl theme nicely.

Ridings opened the main set alone at the piano with Weekends, followed by Face in the Crowd. What stood out most was the silence. A single key tapped on the piano carried right to the back of the hall with a piercing clarity, and the audience stayed almost completely still through every song. That kind of respect is not something you see at every gig, and it gave her songs room to land.

The new album dominated the middle of the set, with Euphoria, I Have Always Loved You and Undefeated followed by Dancing in My Kitchen. A lot of the new material deals with a world that feels heavy at the moment, and Ridings does not shy away from it. Several songs look at toxic relationships and the struggle to get out of them, and the writing is clear enough that you don't need to know the back story to feel it.

Her husband, Ewan J Phillips, came out to play acoustic a few times during the night, including for Dancing in My Kitchen. The pair have an easy rapport, and his appearances added some warmth between the heavier songs.

Wild Horse was one of the standout moments. Before it, Ridings spoke to anyone going through something hard right now and asked them to remember the version of themselves who got through it. The urgent tempo and big vocal runs gave the room a real lift. She asked who had been with her since the first or second album, which was a nice reminder of how long some of the crowd have been around.

One of the most charming moments came when Ridings told the room that a couple had got in touch because Love Is Fire was their wedding song. She had not played it in years, and she forgot the words partway through. Someone had also messaged her asking for You Mean the World to Me, so she switched to that instead. The room was warm about it, and the moment felt all the more human for it.

The main set closed with Mother of Pearl, Blackout, Ultraviolet, If This Is a Dream and Strength in Me. For the encore she returned to play Lost Without You and Castles. It was the biggest singalong of the night. Castles gave the evening a bigger finish, and by the end much of the audience was on its feet.

The night had not started on time, as a medical emergency delayed the start. The crowd was patient through the wait, and once the show got going it never lost momentum.

All in all this was a strong night and a lovely one to be part of. Ridings can move from a whisper to a full-voiced chorus without sounding strained, and the piano-led sections showed how little she needs to hold a room. If you get the chance to see the Mother of Pearl show, go.

Amber Run, the Nottingham indie band, opened the night with a short set that warmed the room up well and was well received by the crowd.