Rachael Sage live in London review: ‘Less like performance, more like family’
Rachael Sage’s headline London show at Pizza Express Live at The Pheasantry this week arrived ahead of her forthcoming UK tour supporting Wet Wet Wet, but the intimate basement performance dissolved almost all separation between artist and audience, as Attitude discovered
Beneath the low lighting of PizzaExpress Live, amid snug cabaret tables offering American Hots doused in chilli oil and more than a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, US singer/songwriter Rachael Sage treated a curated crowd to an acoustic assortment of songs from across her repertoire, joined by her phenomenally talented violinist and cellist – affectionately dubbed “The Sequins.” At times, their bows felt close enough to brush against audience members’ hairlines; an intimacy that transformed the performance into a collective experience.
An explosion of red sequins and polka dots, Sage immediately radiated the same warmth and emotional openness that defines her most recent album, Canopy. Her hair adorned with signature rainbow colours, she floated between keyboard and grand piano with remarkable grace and an intrinsic campness that had nothing to do with attention-seeking flamboyance, and everything to do with generosity. Between songs, Sage spoke often – thoughtfully, humorously, intimately – creating a tone that felt less like performance and more like family.
It is perhaps this quality that makes Sage such a compelling presence, particularly for queer audiences. There is something quietly disarming about Sage’s openness; an emotional generosity that invites the room to soften with her. There is wisdom in her songwriting that breaks the overwhelming complexity of modern life down into simple emotional truths: love, resolve, collective conscious, tenderness. And yes, the world really would be a lot better if it were run by women and queers.
That ethos runs deeply through Canopy, an album previously described by Sage herself to Attitude as rooted in “inclusivity, acceptance and peace”. And hearing them brought to life in such close quarters gave each track new emotional weight, seemingly recalibrating the energy of the room.
The standout moment came during “Nexus,” as Sage repeated the line: “We can lift each other up with our resolve instead of giving up.” By the song’s conclusion, the entire room appeared to settle into the same emotional frequency.
For one evening in a basement on the King’s Road, a room full of strangers lacking phone signal chose resolve, over giving up. And, for a little while at least, the world felt slightly less cynical because of it.
Rachael Sage continues her UK tour through 31 May, with dates including Scarborough, Inverness, Stirling and Worthing, before returning in October for shows in London, Bath, Southampton, Sheffield, Edinburgh and Manchester. Full dates and tickets at her official website.