Rhys Lewis | SXSW Top 25

Rhys Lewis performed at British Music Embassy with BBC Music, PPL and PRS, representing the best of British for his last gig at the festival. Followed by the likes of Jade Bird and Sam Fender, Rhys opened up what was one of the best line ups of the week.

Playing songs from his recently released EP ‘Bad Timing,’ as well as some older compositions, Rhys demonstrated his soul-pop genre that sets him apart from the usual pop band. He has a particular focus on his vocal technique and the lyrics, indirectly encouraging the audience to pay attention to the emotion behind the song.

He openly describes the story behind each song he is about to sing, be it about a painful break up (‘Bad Timing’) or an observation he had, allowing the newest of audience members to be able to connect to him straight away at any point in the set.

Though the keys were out ready to be played, various technical issues at the venue meant Rhys stayed with this guitar the whole night, but was still able to deliver a diverse set with the high quality and interesting songs he has. He also played a couple of songs without playing anything himself, just putting an emphasis on his vocals whilst his band accompanied him through the song.

Already having a substantial following in the US prior to playing the festival, Rhys still managed to accumulate a large number of new fans in the week we’re sure, the venue being jam packed from the very start of his gig. Rhys is to head on a European tour soon, so catch him across the Atlantic back home!

Watch out for an interview with Rhys in the next issue of our magazine, out May 2018!