Two years after opening for Jacob Banks in the same venue, Joy Crookes hit the esteemed Hares and Hounds on her Birmingham stop of her first headlining UK/Europe Tour last month. 

The South Londoner’s name has been one that has appeared seemingly everywhere ever since I was introduced to her music through a friend earlier this year. Discovering the extent of her discography only fairly recently, I was very intrigued to hear even more of her music in a live setting. 

Her commanding presence proved she was a force to be reckoned with, slowly winning over the crowd as she electrified the stage

Opening act AMUN may have appeared an unexpected choice to some of the crowd, with her trap-based approach to soul providing a fairly bold contrast to that of the more mellowed blues and jazz-laced headliner Crookes. Yet, the 23-year-old’s commanding presence proved she was a force to be reckoned with, slowly winning over the crowd as she electrified the stage with a dynamic set taken largely from her recently released Settling Scores EP. AMUN’s musical take felt particularly refreshing to me, pairing glistening R&B vocals with the unapologetic sensibility and production of Hip-Hop music in a manner that is usually reserved for American artists. Hearing her deliver light, fluttering vocals over hard hitting tracks like ‘Cycle’ not only succeeded in offering hype, but also felt particularly reminiscent to the work of Aaliyah in spots, keeping me invested for all that is to come next from the artist.

After a brief intermission eased with the echoes of tone setting selections like Johnny Cash’s ‘I Walk The Line’ and D’Angelo’s ‘Betray My Heart’, Joy skipped onto the stage to an elated audience, energetically opening with the solid smooth-bumping ‘Hurts’ off of her Perception EP. The playful refrain ‘I just pull up then skrrt, you just pull up when it hurts’ quickly ignited the crowd, with her incredibly smooth vocals paired with an equally enthralling and tight band setting high standards from the outset. Following this with up with ‘No Hands’ strongly drew my attention to Joy’s ability in bridging eras of old and new, with a unique blend of her incredibly soulful (and consistent) tone managing to echo classic vocalists of Billie Holiday and the like, combined with hip-hop—infused cadences and subtle instrumentation that could find her nesting in a Soulquarian set. 

Crookes was engaging throughout, holding such great rapport with the audience and scattering entertaining anecdotes

The influence of Hip-Hop became a continuing thread for me throughout the night, with the set moving from understatedly presenting it in the form of drumming passages to tackling it head on as she spat a Lauryn Hill-esque verse in treating us to unreleased gem ‘I Need Her’. This was one of several noteworthy moments for me where the band blended stunningly well, with standout guitar work in particular. Another high point saw Joy further exploring this flair with her impressive take of Kendrick Lamar’s ‘Yah’ and ‘Element’ from his DAMN. album, somehow managing to retain Kendrick’s dark characters whilst building an incredibly warm and jazzy interpretation which very much could be mistaken for an original.

Crookes was engaging throughout, holding such great rapport with the audience and scattering entertaining anecdotes about exes, ambulances and her parents across her set. Vocally, she consistently delivered, although I would say there were a few moments, such as with the end of ‘Man’s World’, where energy picked up and (though attempting to deliver more power) she was drowned out a bit by her band. However, this rather made me appreciate how much Joy plays to her strengths, standing as an artist who knows her instrument so well and allowing for remarkable performances without having to do too much.

What stood out for me in particular was how she sung with such conviction, especially across moments of asserting herself that made lines such as ‘show some fu**ing respect’ on ‘Power’ hit so much harder. This also points to Hares and Hounds being a perfect choice of venue, with the intimate setting adding to the extremely emotional and vulnerable feel that her music offers allowing for such a personal experience. The personal connection between these lyrics and her fans could be felt throughout, from a few in the front passionately screaming lyrics back at her during heart-wrenching and somber belter ‘Since I Left You’, to the beautiful moment of togetherness in filling the venue with the chorus of ‘Don’t Let Me Down’. 

Aside from being such a vocal talent, experiencing it live made it clearer to me that Joy’s music allows her to present herself unapologetically in a way that connects and brings people together, as well as proving her an artist that is driven to solidify her strength in her craft regardless of whether you’re listening or not. And I’m disappointed I hadn’t been listening sooner.