I went to see Rag 'N' Bone Man & saw why he is an award-winning singer

Inside the intimate O2 Apollo, the singer opted for a minimalistic approach on stage with an emphasis placed on allowing the music to take centre stage, and it worked to perfection as everyone got their chance to shine. Rag’s silky, enchanting and soulful voice and his prowess as a performer speaks for itself, but his willingness to take a backseat to allow his backing band to shine can’t be given enough credit.

With dreamy guitar riffs and spellbinding solos galore, Richard Hughes delivered a perfect tutorial on the art of playing guitar, trumpeter Paul Jordanous’ exquisite melodic lines and trumpet solos were eye-catching and backing singer Roo Savill more than adequately filled P!nk’s verses in the emotional ballad ‘Anywhere Away From Here’.

Rag'n'Bone Man’s catalogue is a bit of a musical montage that draws influence from genres such as the blues, jazz and soul and even a bit of dance thanks to collaborations with Calvin Harris. That montage was on display at the O2 Apollo as the singer rolled through his diverse catalogue from hits such as the electronic hit ‘Lovers in the Past Life’, the classic soul track ‘Rush of Blood’ that was perfect for the intimate setting and ‘Hard Came the Rain’ sounds Johnny Cash-esque and a track that would be perfect for a western movie or video game.

Following impressive opening sets from the baritone voiced Jon Poppii and the R&B/soul singer Kymara, Rag came onto the stage to an electric response and kept a relentless pace to begin the set as he performed ‘The Right Way’, ‘All I Know’ and ‘Skin’ in quick succession, setting the tone for what was to be a mesmerising performance.

Cutting a candid figure on stage, it is easy to see why Rag is so revered by his audience. HIs willingness to express his emotions and feelings is something that is relatable to his fanbase. Midway through the set, the singer explained how he loved the idea that children see their parents as superheroes and joked he’s “no cooler as a parent than everyone in the room” before performing a rendition of ‘Iron’.

As Rag'n'Bone Man closed out the set, tracks such as the anthemic ‘Crossfire’, the classic soul hit ‘Pocket’, the relationship-inspired ‘‘Put a Little Hurt on Me’ and the Brit Award winning track ‘Human’ offer opportunities for a singalong for the engrossed Mancunian audience before the evening closes with ‘Giant’ to wrap up a thrilling performance that highlighted the singer’s impressive vocal abilities.