‘I saw Raye live – this is why she deserved a blue plaque commemorating her break-up’

Of all the musicians I’ve seen live, Raye is one of the best. Not because of any spectacle – there wasn’t a single use of pyrotechnics – and not because of any gimmicks – no celebrities were called on stage – but because Raye clearly loves music.

And a love like that is infectious. So much so, that I can’t help but think her new blue plaque – that commemorates the “greatest heartbreak she has ever known” is well-deserved.

I saw Raye the night before the BRIT Awards 2026, where the South London singer would go home empty-handed. She performed live from the O2 and split her act into three parts, each one celebrating a different style of music that the singer loves – the Amy Winehouse-esque use nods to the 1960s, the storytelling of old jazz and the raves Raye cut her teeth in.

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She opened with her latest hit Where Is My Husband? Raye could have leaned into the TikTok hype around the song and attempted to make a viral dance for the song that people would come to the tour just to see live. She could have done a bit where she paused the show to single someone out as her future husband – again, so that people would come to the tour just to see the bit. Many artists would have found a way to capitalise on the song to make more money, but not Raye. She let the music speak for itself.

Immediately, the big and joyful sound of trumpets and saxophones filled the arena. It was the kind of sound that jolts into your system and makes you wish you never gave up on the recorder, because just maybe, you could have been brilliant. It’s a hopeful sound that is completely fresh in the age of electronic noise.

When Raye starts singing, alongside her backing singers, it’s clear how much the music of the 1960s has had an influence on her. Everything from the way she enunciates her words to how she moves about the stage with her “emotional support microphone cord” is a callback to the era of The Supremes, Aretha Franklin and Dusty Springfield.

Seamlessly, she makes the mood shift and takes the audience, via a story, to a jazz club. The songs she chooses for this segment, whether that be from her unreleased album or a cover of Frank Sinatra’s Fly Me To The Moon, all include lyrics that stick with you. You could imagine them as quotes on a wall or in poetry anthologies.

And from the sad, almost melancholic atmosphere created by that, Raye switches to club music without even blinking. The whole stadium was jumping. It’s a testament to the building work that the combined seismic ripples didn’t cause the O2 to collapse.

Every genre of music was treated with utter reverence, and the beauty of sound was clearly Raye’s priority. Music is supposed to be heard live. That’s how it was always intended to be, before recordings, radio and Spotify were a thing. However incredible something can sound through headphones or speakers, it can sound so much better when it is right in front of you, when you can feel the vibrations in the floor and let the sound waves drift directly into your ears.

I have never seen an artist recognise the simple power music has and make that the focal point of their concert before. Don’t get me wrong, I also loved the spectacle of the Eras tour, and I never skipped a TikTok video about which position Sabrina Carpenter mimed during Juno whilst on tour. But Raye’s concert did something unique by paring it all back. She did something magical.

Which is why I think she is well worthy of the blue plaque that has been put on a pub to commemorate the “heartbreak” she suffered there. Blue plaques are supposed to signify a place as a site of importance to history and culture. Raye’s dedication to live music makes her incredibly important to culture in the UK, so if this blue plaque recognises that, it’s doing what it is supposed to.

The concert ticket was courtesy of Nordic Spirit. Nordic Spirit nicotine pouches are a smoke-free alternative for existing adult nicotine users aged 18 and over. These convenient nicotine pouches are one hundred percent tobacco-free, with no smoke or vapour. Existing adult nicotine users aged 18 can find out more info by visiting www.nordicspirit.co.uk

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