Review: Joy Crookes Intimate Gig at Rough Trade
Review: Joy Crookes Intimate Gig at Rough Trade
London born soul singer-songwriter, Joy Crooks graced Nottingham with her presence for her first time on October 24th 2021 for a signing and intimate gig at Rough Trade. Joy is performing a series of intimate gigs across the UK ahead of her tour which is kicking off in Brighton on November 6th.Â
The small shows are acting as a celebration for Joy and her fans after her debut album reaching the top 5 since its release on Friday 15th October, a success which was well deserved with the album featuring songs that Joy has been writing since the age of 15. She credited this success to her fans during the show claiming that without them this wouldnât have been able to happen.Â
The pandemic struck at the worst time for Joy she had some busy months anticipated being scheduled to support Harry Stylesâ âLove on Tourâ, 2020 was due to be the year of her big breakthrough. Post pandemic, she was finally able to release her much-anticipated debut album, âSkinâ, the perfect debut to introduce fans and new listeners to Joy’s identity and beliefs whilst maintaining her skill to deliver catchy melodies which we love at Fly hence it âwhen you were mineâ making our A-list. Â
Itâs been amazing to watch Joy celebrate her success on Instagram whilst travelling across the UK to celebrate with her fans. The gig itself was breathtakingly beautiful, Joys angelic voice stunned the room to silence without question during her emotional performance of âSkinâ alongside just her pianist. It was clear that the emotion and rawness of the song resonated with her fans.
Joy was also able to instantly pivot the emotions of the audience encouraging them to and sing along to her upbeat performance of âfeet donât fail me nowâ âwhen you were mineâ and âwild jasmine.â Joys performance of âtroubleâ extended the song to encourage the audience to sing along to the catchy chorus. Mirroring her album, this gig provided a real emotional rollercoaster for the 30-minute set whilst delivering an acoustic and chilled vibe, perfect for a Sunday evening.
She performed alongside just 2 bandmates who played guitars and a keyboard increasing the intimacy of the gig whilst allowing Joys raw talent and stunning smooth vocals to shine through making the gig really heart-warming and memorable for the small but sold-out audience.
Joy even treated her fans to a signing and quick chat post-gig before she headed back on the last train to London. It was evident that the singer-songwriter wanted to do everything in her power to make her fans feel like family and show them how appreciated their support was in aiding the success of her album. Â
It was a treat to see Joy live and with the successful past few months, I have hopes that she continues to visit and perform in Nottingham to her adoring fans for future gigs as she grows. This gig delivered wholesome and positive energy which ended the week perfectly. Â
By Ciara McCannÂ
Image credits: Ciara McCannÂ
