Live Review: Rumer – Tuesday 24th April 2012 – Hammersmith Working Men’s Club, London, UK

Rumer first reached out to audiences back in late 2010 with the gorgeous debut that is Seasons Of My Soul. Combining a winning formula of hooks, swaying melodies and a voice so close to that of the late Karen Carpenter that it is spooky, the singer reeled in fans by the millions and quickly became one of the most distinguished singer-songwriters to emerge from the UK in recent years.

With a fan-base that never stops growing and having the support of industry heavyweights including Burt Bacharach and Jools Holland to name a couple, Rumer unleashed a string of lovable yet slightly melancholic singles that caught our attention and made us cry out for more. Singles like the syrupy Slow with its moving chorus made us take notice of a star being born.

18 months on from the release of her debut record Rumer is gliding towards the release of her sophomore album. Titled Boy’s Don’t Cry and scheduled for a release date of May 28th, the record already comes with high hopes and a lot of expectations. Will the record match her introductory effort? Well, the only way to find out was to hear it for ourselves and so we were invited along to a very exclusive showcase by the singer at the Hammersmith Working Men’s Club this evening to see the singer reveal to us a number of tracks to be found on the new album.

As a small flock of the UK media, as well as a small collection of competition winners, descended upon Hammersmith, Rumer set to the small stage of the WMC at just past 6.15 and found that her return was more than welcome as the crowd garnished her with applause before she began her set with her latest single, P.F Sloan. The track is the perfect single to welcome back Rumer and usher in her second album with its mid-tempo melody and hook heavy chorus that perfectly suits Rumers whispery, soulful vocals.

As with P.F Sloan each song performed in the set list was accompanied by an anecdote or lighthearted story that showcased Rumer’s charming crowd working skills and made the night feel very laid back and intimate. Her 11 piece band, which was made up of keyboard, sax, guitars, string section and a trio of powerful backing singers, filled the small stage of the Working Men’s Club as they helped give the set a complete and rich filling.

It Could Be The First Day, a track written by Richie Havens, was met with applause and was one of the highlights of the set and has been applauded by the songwriter himself, happy to have the star perform a song of his and the crowd were also happy to hear the singer work her magic on the obscure number and make it her own.

A stripped back performance of the Neil Young number Man Needs A Maid gave Rumer her biggest applause as she delivered a pitch perfect and vocally flawless addition over a minimalistic backdrop of piano while being supported by her incredible backing singers.

Further tracks from Boy’s Don’t Cry filled the set list giving us a feel of what’s to come on the new album.

To end the evenings performance the songbird offered to the crowd her signature single, Slow, before taking to the audience to meet those who came to see her perform and to sign some promotional album cards that had been dotted around the venue to help promote the upcoming album release.

We think that fans are in for a real treat when the album finally lands at the end of next month. Although the new record is a selection of covers rather than new pennings by the singer and a little on the obscure side, Boy’s Don’t Cry will no doubt prove to be yet another chart worthy record for Rumer. Going by what we heard tonight from the star, Boy’s Don’t Cry is the perfect follow up to what was one of the best releases of 2010 and is set to propel the singer further into the international spotlight as the collection continues to showcase both Rumer’s exquisite vocal abilities as well as her talents at performing a long line of memorable, engaging and soulful gems.

Set list:

P.F. Sloan
It Could Be The First Day
Travelin’ Boy
Just For A Moment
Man Needs A Maid
Sarah Smile
Soulsville
Slow

Brendon Veevers

::: RenownedForSound.com’s Editor and Founder –
Interviewing and reviewing the best in new music and globally recognized artists is his passion.
Over the years he has been lucky enough to review thousands of music releases and concerts and interview artists ranging from top selling superstars like 27-time Grammy Award winner Alison Krauss, Boyz II Men, Roxette, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Loeb and iconic Eagles front man/songwriter, Glenn Frey through to more recent successes including Newton Faulkner, Janelle Monae and Caro Emerald.
Brendon manages and coordinates the amazing team of writers on RenownedForSound.com who are based in the UK, the U.S and Australia.