Big names like Bjork and PJ Harvey have headlined at the Perth Festival. They draw you in with a little international renown and spectacle; then they surprise you with their selection of local artists too. But in this metaphor, home-grown Jordan Rakei isn’t the local artist. His five albums, hundreds of millions of listens, and many globetrotting tours attest to that. He’s the soulful star drawing people to the Perth power station venue. It’s the indie R&B opener “Drea” that was a nice surprise.
Peppy and bubbly, Drea made the huge shell of the power station feel like a fun gig at a local bar. Between verses of her rich R&B vocals, she was dancing like her favourite band was playing– playing off the cymbal crashes, shaking her hips with the bass, and closing her eyes to hear it all. Her winning charm went a long way in turning a patiently waiting crowd into an excited one. Her originals, like “Yellow”, clearly impressed the crowd, but the highlight was a cover of Sabrina Carpenter’s “Juno”. Her keyboardist requested it, and she was a little embarrassed to play it, but her lower, fuller voice complemented the highs of the song in a way that outdid Carpenter (It’s too bad that her cover isn’t on streaming). Her full-bodied belting of the pop anthem was also the perfect lead-in to Jordan Rakei’s soulful set.
Rakei stepped on stage in a baggy sweater and jeans. Not the usual star style, not even the style his band wore– they were all in white like his choir of angels. But Rakei has something better than an eye-catching outfit– star power. The crowd was vibrating from the second he came into view, and his laissez-faire attitude only added to the mystique of the soulful depths of the artist. He said ‘Well, tonight I’m going to play from my back catalogue, and from my new album: The Loop’, and the crowd cheered. This seemingly average-joe talks with the air of an old friend catching you up on their life– he journals, meditates, and wrote “Royal” in a rare moment of rage– then he sings and his voice pours out like a river rushing, like he can’t contain it.
He’s a rockstar in the back room. You watch him plink away on an old bass, singing softly then a backup choir appears and it becomes transcendent– “Clouds” is a perfect example of this magic. And Rakei’s team seem to know that’s his appeal, because his stage was dotted with bedroom lamps that glowed dim and warm during his opening songs–”Flowers”, “Freedom”– then turned a ethereal blue when he turned up the volume to bring a body and punch to his songs that isn’t found in his recordings.
Maybe it’s also intentional that Rakei’s bandmates were highlighted in heavenly white outfits, because their support was the what that elevated his soulful, sincere singing to something special (his backup singer/keyboardist, Eliza Oakes, was especially angelic with her airy choir vocals and flowing golden hair). You can also imagine that the effortlessly cool Rakei wanted them in white just so that they could enjoy a little more of the spotlight while he just enjoys the pleasure of playing his music. Either way, the night was surprisingly intimate for one spent in the refurbished wreck of a hundred-year-old power station– one to remember.
FOUR STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The reviewer attended the show on 1st March.
Jordan Rakei & Drea appeared as part of the Perth Festival – which ran from 7th February to 2nd March 2025. For more information head to the official website
