LIVE REVIEW: Fridayy brings his R’n’B gospel to KOKO, Camden

It’s a Friday night and Koko is packed to the brim with R’n’B fans, they’re bursting from the balconies, waiting in anticipation for Philadelphia’s most promising export of late, Fridayy. 

It’s quite fitting that the fast rising singer’s name equates to everyone’s favourite day of the week, as what ensues can only be described as a party. In a city where R’n’B nights are increasingly all the rage, Fridayy draws in a crowd who’d typically be found at DJ AAA’s ‘Slow Jams With A’ or Chuckie Online’s ‘R’n’B & Slow Jams’ on a Friday night. It’s safe to say that tonight, the lovers and rockers are in the building. 

Credit: @Zek.Snaps

Opening with a medley of ‘Way Too Far’ and ‘Moms Prayer’, Fridayy walks on stage to deafening screams from his crowd. From that point forward he’s in full command, as his hour-long set transforms into a wholesome sing-along, and his anthemic tunes emanate across the high ceilings of the venue. Given the heavy gospel inspirations behind Fridayy’s music, there are moments of his set that feel like they’d fit quite perfectly into a church setting, due to the historic London venue’s aesthetics and the perfect way that sound reverberates throughout it. In moments across the well-crafted show, particularly when Fridayy pays homage to his hometown with ‘Don’t Give Up On Me’, the crowd assumes the role of the choir and Fridayy, the lead chorister. 

Other moments of the show feel contemporary and fun-filled, as Fridayy interacts with his audience expertly, keeping them up-beat and engaged. When it’s time to play a song for the ladies, Fridayy picks a girl from the crowd and serenades her to the tune of ‘You’. As the lucky lady wiggles excitedly in her chair, the screams of the ladies throughout the venue are a certain indicator of Fridayy’s growing heartthrob status; think Usher circa last years’ Las Vegas residency level mania. 

As Fridayy continues to seamlessly riff and run his way through the tracks off his recent self-titled debut album using his significant baritone, it becomes increasingly difficult not to feel utterly enthralled by his impressive range of vocal abilities. A perfect example of this would be during his performance of  ‘Don’t Give It Away’, when he lets out a resounding whistle-note that can only be described as utterly sublime. This, juxtaposed with his distinctive baritone, again sets the precedent that Fridayy’s vocal chops are not to be reckoned with. 

When closing out the show, Fridayy takes a moment to spotlight his band, who contribute immensely to adapting his music for its live setting, during ‘Stand By Me’. Across the show, Fridayy’s band meticulously ensures that the acoustics bolster the singer’s vocals at every turn and tune. Showcasing their instrumental abilities, Fridayy’s guitarist and drummer both briefly play earworm solo’s before Fridayy hops on the keys himself to play a woozy solo which segues into the closing number ‘When It Comes To You’. 

It’s clear that there’s something special about the rising R’n’B star, and that his idiosyncrasy is weighted on his arrival with a pure and groundbreaking message. At a time when black music culture is understandably being inspired by rage and societal secularism globally, Fridayy is carving out his own peaceful lane in music through re-envisioning and interpolating themes adjacent to love and the gospel. If tonight's show is anything to go by, his approach is connecting on a massive scale.