Currently touring across the UK and Germany, RØRY’s hometown show at Southampton’s O2 Guildhall proves exactly why she’s one of the most emotionally unpredictable, and captivating, UK underground artists performing today.
Defences opened the night, warming up an already buzzing crowd. Initiating everyone into their family and flooding the room with phone torches during their song ‘Shadowlight’. The venue transformed into a galaxy of stars just for a moment, as if the main lights had come back on.
Despite it being her first UK tour, second support SkyDxddy delivered an incredible set, fully embracing the love from the crowd. Her talks of abuse, boundaries, and consent aligned with the evening’s theme: inclusivity and support. When a fan handed her a wedding dress and asked her to tear it up, she gave it her best shot, but the sound of ripping fabric was nothing compared to the roar that followed her set.
And then the time came, the lights went down, and the atmospheric bass filled the room as RØRY’s voice echoed over the noise and a familiar “surprise” from ‘In The Bible’ kicked off her hometown set. As she joined her band on stage, a sea of phones were raised in the line of sight, all wanting to capture the moment. For a second, it felt like the whole room was holding its breath, and then, the release.
As fan favourite ‘Baby Vendetta’ boomed through the PA system, OG fans knew what was coming, and it didn’t take long for the newbies to catch on as Rich, RØRY’s partner, skipped onto the stage sporting a diaper and dummy. Making time for the fun, after all, you need something to break up the crying in between RØRY‘s staple sad songs.
Although chaos isn’t unusual at her gigs, there were no mosh pits or crowd surfers at the Guildhall on this surprisingly warm November evening. Still, fists rose for her heavier new release, ‘Degradation’, with RØRY laughing about her setlist choices, “this bitch can’t pick a genre”.
Continuing the theme, emotions were heightened with ‘Alternative’ and ‘Family Tree’, but the evening hit its peak of heartbreak as RØRY made her way through the audience to the middle of the venue, and as the spotlight hit her, she talked of family, both past and present. Although there isn’t a disclaimer, fans know the topic of family trauma and grief is a given at these shows, as it’s one of the things that makes the 37 Club so tight-knit. With everyone lending an arm to those nearby, ‘Jesus and John Lennon’ played, and it was hard to find a dry eye in the room.
With a set that really started to reflect the pure chaos in an ADHD brain, “I’m gonna do something I’ve never done… I’m gonna lift the mood”, laughed RØRY. Multi-coloured lights filled the room, brassy funk played, and our host welcomed us to the Dead Girl Walking game show as she danced across the stage. Announcing the winner of the merch draw from the mystery sign up page we were invited to visit earlier, all whilst introducing her new track, you guessed it, ‘Dead Girl Walking’. With its electronic vocals, heavy drops, and rapped verses, let’s just say the crowd lapped it up like a person finding water in the desert.
‘Morality Suicide’ and ‘Uncomplicated’ reignited the room’s energy, spreading movement faster than a bad rumour. You could feel the end creeping in, but no one was ready to let go.
The stomps and howls for “one more song” shook the floor. After a short delay due to a medical issue in the crowd, she returned with a new track, ‘Hometown’. As she sang, hundreds of paper signs lifted into the air: “Welcome home RØRY, family is chosen”. It was one of those goosebump moments that felt too perfect to be planned, and it just goes to show the impact of this family RØRY has created.
Bringing the crowd together even more so, RØRY incited a little sing-along for ‘Sorry I’m Late’ before wrapping up the evening with Blossom. Reminding everyone that survival, healing, and joy can coexist.
Crying at a RØRY show is a given, but with the evolution of her music, you can expect more than just a collective sob-fest. It’s a group healing ritual disguised as a gig, where breaking is part of rebuilding, and you leave with the restoration complete.