Rhodes at the Sebright Arms

Hype surrounds young Rhodes: all of his gigs are sold out, the audience are very excited during his shows and his records are quickly sold out too. The reasons for this popularity are many: he is young, talented, charming and onstage he has a good presence. Plus, in London there has always been a cult following for what we could call “the cool rush”, to find someone new and talented before anyone else – how to score points in this city.

With a guitar in his hands, Rhodes played for about 50 minutes, mostly on his own, and for few songs accompanied by a bass player and a beats player. Rhodes’ music is a tender mix between The XX, Bright Eyes, Bon Iver and surprisingly Jeff Buckley – thanks to a strong, angelic voice. This minimalistic performance showed a young artist who is rapidly intensifying his skills and features – hopefully he will release a full record sooner or later, as to date we only have one EP, Raise Your Love, and the forthcoming Morning.The title track of this new up-and-coming release is a melodic love song with some touching and sad reflections, while Always sounds like a acoustic version of modern soul in the style of James Blake. Your Soul is close to Bastille’s epic and dramatic landscapes and Raise Your Love is actually the perfect pop song.

For sure, Rhodes is going to be the next big thing in terms of English contemporary pop music, we are just waiting for the big step that will take him from small clubs in Hackney (even though the Sebright Arms is one of the finest) to the big theatres.

Lorenzo Cibrario

For further information and future events visit Rhodes’s website here.

Watch the video for Your Soul here: