Drake White, like Kip Moore, has become an established presence in the UK, repeatedly returning to the UK amidst overwhelming demand from a hardcore fanbase this side of the pond. Indeed, following Moore’s footsteps, White will be playing the main stage for C2C2019 – a shrewd choice from C2C.
His set at Koko on Wednesday 24th October was an infectiously high-energy performance to shake off those hump-day feels. This was one of those kinds of sets that could convert even the most firmly country-music doubters. Though the crowd were doubtless disappointed that White didn’t have the capacity to climb onto the roof as he did in Birmingham, still the energy that he managed to keep up throughout the set was staggering – building right up to the end rather than tailing off. White truly lets himself go to the music, dancing around like it’s just him and the music onstage, with no self-self-consciousness whatsoever holding him back, and it’s a powerful and beautiful experience to witness.
Starting off the set, with the first track from his debut album ‘Spark’ – ‘Heartbeat,’ White had the crowd eating out of the palm of his hand from the get-go. White as a performer has that natural ability to play to the whole venue, reaching every area of Koko with his infectious energy and getting the crowd singing along. ‘Heartbeat’ was followed by the next track on the album ‘Story,’ a similarly uptempo track, allowing White to show off his vocals, with the help of his band ‘The Big Fire’ including an outstanding fiddle section. Rounding out the more fast-paced introduction to his set was ‘Equator,’ one with enough groove to get the crowd shimmying and swaying along – though no-one could possibly rival the hip swaggering of White around the stage that he’d already made his own.
Showing off his more vulnerable and emotional side, White allowed his vocals to shine powerfully through in the more slow-paced ‘Back to Free,’ inspired by one of his band member’s children. This was an important breather in the set, eliciting a powerful response from the audience, before bringing the tempo back up again with ‘Take Me As I Am’ and ‘Waitin’ on the Whiskey to Work.’
Drake White then gave us an insight into his new material with ‘Raised Right’ – part of some live material that he and the band will be releasing soon. This is another catchy track, combining all the elements which the UK have fallen for in White’s music.
The Big Fire were then given the space to show off their talents, in homage to James Brown, with a rendition of ‘I Feel Good,’ showing just how immensely talented they are as a group of musicians and their musical chemistry onstage. White too was allowed his moment to show off his talents, with a two-song acoustic performance, including the ever-popular ‘Girl In Pieces,’ from the recently-released EP ‘Pieces.’
The Big Fire were then brought back for the crowd-pleasing ‘Livin’ the Dream’ where the crowd’s singing was given it’s chance to shine? Though perhaps most known for the follow-up to this ‘Makin’ Me Look Good Again,’ ‘Livin’ the Dream’ was a powerful unifying moment at Koko – shrewd set-list organisation at work here to place this before ‘Makin’ Me.’ This single was the best showcase of the night for White’s voice – it should not be underestimated – with it’s raw and gravelly tones that are simply stunning.
The most surprising part of the evening, perhaps, was the encore, the band and White re-emerging with Ryan Kinder for a cover of ‘With a Little Help From My Friends.’ This was a surprising but clever choice, a highly energetic, glorious rendition that was intoxicating.
Only five words to sum up this night – Drake White come back soon.
Setlist
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Heartbeat
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Story
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Equator
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Back to Free
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Take Me As I Am
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Waitin’ on the Whiskey to Work
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Raised Right
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I Feel Good (James Brown cover)
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All Would Be Right
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Drake White 2 song acoustic
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Girl In Pieces
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Living The Dream
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Makin’ Me Look Good Again
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It Feels Good
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Encore: With A Little Help From My Friends