Hannah Grae + Yuneki, The Grace, London [Live]

Wales is producing some incredibly exciting independent acts at the moment, from the lilting Americana of Eleri, to the rich alt-pop of Hana Lili.

Hannah Grae has been a key part of this revival for some time now, performing powerful 90s-rock-inspired songs and winning lots of fans well beyond the borders of the country.

I've featured lots of her tracks on my playlists, and have written in-depth about some of them too, most recently 'Need Me Now', which I still regard as one of the best songs of this year. But a big gap in my Hannah Grae knowledge has been seeing for myself exactly how she translates her well-written and honest songs into the live environment. Her debut London headline show at The Grace was the perfect chance to fill that gap.

In support  was Yuneki, a singer-songwriter from London with a captivating, almost magical voice. She was clearly a little nervous; I found out later that this was her first ever gig, but to be honest there's really no need to worry when you're blessed with a voice like hers, and the song-writing skill to make the most of it. 

Supported by Jim Ralphs on guitar and piano (who also contributed gentle, heartfelt harmonies), Yuneki delivered four songs of carefully crafted, exquisite honesty. Hers are the kind of soulful pop-grounded ballads which immerse you, but challenge you, too. ‘Like Honey’ (out now to stream on SoundCloud) is rich, reflective and open. Her third, 'Masquerade Ball', was about healing her relationship with her parents, and she described her final song as her saddest yet. But all her offerings were deeply emotive, and it was wonderful to be a part of this artist's first live experience.

"It's harder to talk than sing ... sometimes I'm in my own world singing, then I open my eyes and realise you're all here!" she said - and we were all with her.

 

A short break for stage setting, and a brilliantly-chosen playlist helped keep the vibe energetic and excited. Then, 

Hannah Grae arrived on stage having been preceded by her band, who began playing to set the scene, jumping on from the wings and crashing straight into 'Typical' with barely contained excitement, but nevertheless remaining well focused despite the inevitable adrenaline rush.

From there, the rest of the set flew by with few lulls. ‘Propaganda’ was the perfect chance for the audience to join in a raucous singalong, to Hannah’s obvious delight; and ‘Better Now You’re Gone’ kept that level of energy. So far so good — the songwriting was proving ideal for a live setting, giving Hannah plenty of leeway to ad lib with the safety net of solid structures. 

Her next two songs showcased her ability to include more variety in her writing: ‘Need Me Now’, a beautifully building song with jangly guitars melding into open, lengthened rock riffs; and ‘Who Dunnit?’, which has a thrilling, spooky feel layered with driving bass and drums. This sounded fantastic live and Hannah's band deserve a big shout out for their dedicated, supportive approach.

Towards the end of the set, we were treated to a debut of one of two new songs. 'New Temptation' felt a little more developed and mature, taking its time to unfold. It's melodic but no less powerful - a typical Hannah Grae anthem. She also mentioned, but didn't play, her other new one 'Aeroplane Jelly' ("probably the most random song I've written") – I'm even more intrigued to hear it now. After that, a cover of 'I'm Just A Girl' by No Doubt – which Hannah described as one of her favourite bands – a 1990s classic, performed with typical Hannah Grae passion.

The final song in the main set was 'Screw Loose'. This is another high energy banger which Hannah took full advantage of, using the whole stage, riffing off her band, taking energy from the room and reflecting it back, multiplied. At this point I realised that Hannah had been steadily building a really strong collection of songs, gaining loads of support online and through support gigs and festival slots: and in that way she's found the perfect recipe for a well-attended, engaging headline appearance. 

A very brief break prefaced a two-song encore: 'When I Had Hope, I Had It All', which was rich and made the most of the impactful building feel; and 'It Could Have Been You', which was a rebellious blast of an anthem, and the perfect way to go out in style.

This was an impressive show, well judged, clearly well rehearsed, but also feeling honest. We saw a key part of Hannah's journey, and we'll treasure those collective memories.

Date of gig: 22 May 2024

Full setlist:

Typical (The Buttercup Song)

I Never Say No

Propaganda

Better Now You're Gone

Need Me Now

Who Dunnit?

New Temptation

I'm Just A Girl

Screw Loose

When I Had Hope, I Had It All

It Could Have Been You