gemma short writings

From the moment she stepped on stage, Chinouriri knew her performance was going to be a triumph. With a big grin to the roaring crowd, often emphatically waving around her microphone stand, the joy with which she performed was contagious. But beneath that was a sense of overwhelm too; she had boldly opted to open with a chilling performance of “Garden of Eden”, the opening title to her debut album What a Devastating Turn of Events (2024) which brought tears to her eyes.

This was a massive faucet of Chinouriri’s charm, the refusal to shy away from the more dramatic of her discography (“The Hills”) or the gut wrenching (“So My Darling (acoustic)”) amongst an otherwise joyful performance. In the prelude for the latter, the words almost get stuck in her throat as she urges everyone in the crowd to remember to tell people they love them. Chinouriri’s vulnerable with her crow; she admits earlier in the setlist that she misses home (London).

Although far away from home in theory, she blazed on and made herself at home on the New Music Stage tucked neatly away from the sun that beat down on Herrington Park. My highlight for both the set and for the day had to be her performance of one of my favourite songs of hers, the tongue-in-cheek “It Is What It Is”. And of course, it was a joy to hear two of her biggest singles (“All I Ever Asked” and “Never Need Me”) as well as being let in on an unreleased song. I had driven rather far from home for the weekend, but getting to see one of my favourite artists on top form meant it didn’t feel so far.

(above are examples of why i need to learn how to take better photos. sorry rachel. in my defence, i’m always too in-the-moment to really think about getting good photos)