“Energetic, socially conscious, captivating and undoubtedly deserving of a bigger audience.”
Tamil-Swiss singer, Priya Ragu, released her debut LP “Santhosam”, to critical acclaim in 2023. She’s been on a world tour supporting the record this year and the UK dates include a show aboard Bristol’s Thekla.
Support tonight comes from Yusuf Suave of RepresentAsian who explore South Asian representation in electronic music via their podcast and club nights. DJ sets are not always well received on week nights – especially for early curfew gigs like this one – but this is a perfect start to the night. The crowd seem so into it that it’s easy to forget that this is not actually tonight’s main attraction.
Priya’s band arrive on stage at 9pm and ask us to close our eyes. Despite the high energy levels created by the support act, the audience politely comply and there’s a moment of community mediation which serves to focus attention on the show ahead.
As is common with Thekla, there is an early ‘kick out’ time to make way for the club night which follows. The singer and band therefore deliver a fast-paced, tight 60 minute set barely pausing between tracks.
Priya bursts onto stage in a vintage Man Utd kit and sunglasses and immediately kicks into two popular tracks from her debut LP, “School Me Like That” and “Vacation”. She then invites the crowd to guess which song she is going to play next, explaining that it’s the song that changed her career. There are a few incorrect answers but, of course, it is “Good Love 2.0” – a banger from her excellent “damnshestamil” mixtape.
The singer does appear a little nervous initially and the vocal performance on the opening few songs is less confident than what follows later on. By the time she reaches “Adalam Va!” at the half way point, she’s hit her stride and performing with the brashness that her bold and unique material deserves. Priya leaves the stage at this point while her recent Skrillex and Ahadadream collaboration, “TAKA”, is played out. The song is enjoying some virality at the moment and should be a bit hit at festivals this summer. However, it’s easy to see why this would not be an easy one to play with a live band.
When she returns Priya delivers an energetic and thrilling second half. “Lockdown” gets one of the best reactions of the night before a breath-taking pairing of “Black Goose” and “Let Me Breathe”, as demonstrated in her Colours show performance, provide the show’s indisputable highlight. The crowd chant along “Officer don’t shoot, I got so much shit to do“. They are here for the activism as much to the music, uniting for Priya’s “Free, Free Palestine” shout.
Priya Ragu is certainly one of the most exciting newer artists and this show gives us a glimpse into her potential. It’s energetic, socially conscious, captivating and undoubtedly deserving of a bigger audience.
