Rex Orange County
The Surrey-born star shows what it takes to keep a crowd mesmerized by catchy tunes with deeper meanings, definitely delivering a night that was ‘10/10’ (Excuse the pun).
Queues started forming from the moment I stepped foot on the UEA Campus to have a couple of beers with friends before the show, people were eager to feel the magic of the LCR pit; I guess that is to be expected for a highly anticipated first visit to Norwich for the indie singer-songwriter.
Although Rex has been met by some tough criticism following the release of his new album ‘Who Cares?,’ from the packed and eager atmosphere of the LCR you would never know. Starting his set with a new song ‘KEEP IT UP’ Rex Orange County had the crowd singing and dancing from the get-go, iPhones up in the air and fans were hungry to hear more after each song.
Although I must admit, amongst the excited fans I did feel a little bit out of place, maybe a little older than the rest of the crowd, that didn’t stop me from having a great time and singing along to the songs I recognized from earlier years.
The intimate feel of the gig only made the night better; with no supporting act, Rex was the only one everyone was dying to see. The warm lighting along with the one-man band put him in the sole focus and made the fans feel like no other problem mattered in the moment. Few are able to do it like him.
Fans who knew him from their teens like myself, were met with delight with the set including some old tunes like catchy ‘Corduroy Dreams’ and ‘Best Friend’, he kept the crowd bopping their head the whole hour.
‘Sad boy’ indie singer delivered a show that was nothing short of exceptional. The only complaint I have, (I am going to try my best to not sound like an angry and superficial gig goer) is the amount of phones in the air, and rather not enough people living in the moment and watching a gig through a screen, which most will remain unseen or deleted from camera rolls; and if you’re short like me, gigs are sometimes hard enough as it is, I am not really there to watch it through the screen of your brand new iPhone 13 or face-timing a friend at home!
Although, I must admit when the phones came down on the last song, at the request of the singer, I was able to enjoy one of my favourite songs ‘Sunflower’. The moment felt magical, intimate, and powerful and nostalgic to my first years at university. The moment will live in the memories of many and not through iCloud storage, which is much better in my opinion.
The Surrey-born star shows what it takes to keep a crowd mesmerized by catchy tunes with deeper meanings, definitely delivering a night that was ‘10/10’ (Excuse the pun).
