It's always heaterning to see a performer get better with each outing and that is definitely the case with Robyn Red, for whom 2025 promises to be a big year with her debut EP due out soon and an array of high profile appearances scheduled which should see her gain greater recognition. This solo performance at the Roundup Stage showed great progression from our very first sighting of her at Buckle & Boots a few years ago and hopefully next year she'll be able to return with her band which takes her into a completely new dimension. Robyn's appearances in the capital are few and far between. so you just savour them, as and when they occur.
It used to be that if you were at a festival Robyn was like a lighthouse with her red hat shining out like a beacon - this year though, there were more than half a dozen folk effecting the same look altough none quite pulling it off with the same panache.
Having already played at C2C Glasgow the previous day. Robyn took to Roundup Stage on Saturday, in a sparkling golden outfit, her long blonde locks gently brushing her guitar, wearing her trademark hat now daubed with a splash of gold. The high ceilings of the O2 would afford Robyn plenty of room for her powerful vocals to swirl around which she used to her benefit.
The set would open with "Caledonia", fast strumming guitar, powerful delivery, matched to lyrics referencing her Scottish roots, all made for a winning combination. The influence of C2C came to bear on Robyn's emergence as an artist with her first song written on the Monday after attending, rather than being at University. Initially delivered in a much softer tone, "Ten Years On" did show that there is another, reflective, more vulnerable side to Robyn that we have yet to see fully exploited. Admittedly as the song moved along it did then play to Robyn's stengths upping in volume and vocal power, it also showed her early grasp of how to conjure a melody.
Her single "Luke Jackson" now comes with a full minute of comedic disclaimers before Robyn's tale of wronged womens revenge was laid on us in true western style. The opening salvo of the upcoming EP, "The Two Of Us" released earlier in the year, sounded imperious, retaining all the energy of the recorded version with some marvellous extended notes. The second instalment of the EP, "My World Is Yours", saw Robyn create an intensity through her guitar playing alone, though the addition of the vocals naturally gave it the sound of an instant classic hit and future wedding floor filler!
Robyn's recorded version of "Like A Bullet" pales in comparison to seeing it played live, The audience immediately clapping along in time to the stirring guitar and the addition of a stomp pedal gave us all the atmospherics required. The next single "Just Need The Wine" came with a quite graphic introduction of how it came to be written! Seemingly a tribute to the joys of excess.
Things would close with "When The Sun Sets" with it's ever popular audience participation part, that found Robyn having to give the assembled crowd a verbal whiplash after a half hearted rehearsal which enlivened them to put in a more fitting performance when actually required. It was once again storming and anthemic, Robyn's hands a blur as she generated her supporting sound, and topped off with a stomp pedal this was an artist truly announcing themselves on a London C2C stage - it ended with Robyn beaming a bright smile.
Hopefully word from this show and her summer appearances will encourage a C2C invite for a full band appearance next year - we at #TEAMw21 have no doubt that Robyn Red would more than deliver.