Rarely have we seen someone run onto a stage with the amount of enthusiasm and energy as tonight. Rachel Chinouriri is playing the last show of her current tour right here with us in Berlin. And what a blessing it is to be in the same building as someone bringing a burst of excitement like this. Tonight is off to a promising start and she hasn’t even started singing yet. We’re in for a night full of her biggest hits, fan favourites and brand new music from her upcoming album I think I spoke too soon.
The evening opens with a bang thanks to the lead single of her sophomore album. The live rendition of ‘One song away from crying’ proves what a great song it is. The disco-themed production has Rachel dancing around the stage, persuading everyone in the audience to dance and sing along to the catchy track. To complete the picture, a disco ball shines dozens of moving lights that sweep across the room.
With her second studio album set to be released next month, we’re in for a treat. We get exclusive access to be some of the first fans to hear the brand new music before it’s available for streaming. The album is set to be packed with up-tempo bangers. Among them is the incredibly catchy ‘Aah’. The song instantly transports us back in time to the days when VV Brown was dominating our playlists. The Brit indie singer must’ve been an inspiration behind this upbeat indie-pop song. Compliments only, we can’t wait to add this one to our playlist and let it become our new obsession.
Time to visit her debut album What A Devastating Turn of Events. On ‘It Is What It Is’, she showcases her talk-singing style throughout the song. We love how conversational the performance feels with the audience. Rachel locks eyes with her fans in the front row as she spits out words of truth. Once again, the song fully comes to life thanks to her energetic rendition. The studio version should almost be ashamed of itself compared to the pitch-perfect live version we’re hearing tonight.
Our cheeks are hurting from having such a big smile on our faces. Time to replace that smile with tears in our eyes thanks to the beautiful ‘So My Darling’. Throughout the evening, Rachel has shown how high her voice can go and the unlimited places it can reach. For the acoustic rendition of this one, she showcases a different side of her voice. She keeps it calm and collected, singing the emotional song in her lower register. We love how controlled, yet fragile she sounds. The audience is clearly loving every second as we turn to absolute silence in the room.
There is no time to stay in our feelings, we need to get back to the good vibes. ‘Can we talk about Isaac?’ ensures the room lights up and is back to full energy, right in time to gear the audience up for two unreleased songs. First up, we get a disco-inspired song that could easily fool you if Rachel didn’t explain what it was about upfront. The song sounds happy, but underneath it all are some sad lyrics about family trauma. Next up, we get the absolute banger ‘Pretty Girls’. The drum-heavy, up-tempo song explodes from the stage and is yet another one that has us wishing the album was already available online.
The night would obviously not be complete without her most-streamed song to date. The perfect indie-pop ‘All I Ever Asked’ sounds even better with the live band performing it. We love how Rachel consistently delivers at 100% from start to finish. There is not a moment where you catch her without the biggest smile on her face, and the same goes for us in the audience. We completely get why artists such as Olivia Rodrigo, Sombr and PinkPantheress are raving about her talent. We’re counting the days until October 16th and hoping for another tour to accompany the release of I think I spoke too soon.