By Oliver Galbraith
On the 13th of May, Rachael Sage began her Under My Canopy tour with a show at The Troubadour in London – an iconic venue that has hosted some of the world’s biggest artists in its almost 75-year run, including Bob Dylan and Paul Simon. The show took place in the basement of the building and was illuminated with fairy lights to perfectly match Sage’s eccentric style.
Before we got to see Sage’s performance, we were treated to a set by Northampton-based singer-songwriter, Maddox Jones. The cosy venue really suited his introspective and deeply personal lyrics. One of the standouts of his set was Waiting For The World To Turn, which featured some of his best vocals of the night and matched perfectly with the intimacy of the venue.
Jones casually, but expertly, peppered his set with funny anecdotes of tour life, to give us some insight into just how tough it can be. He also acknowledged his long-term fans in the crowd and comically referenced the ‘fan club’ they had set up. Audience interaction can go one of two ways and can really be the difference between a great set and a bad one, but I believe Jones toed this line perfectly.
Once Jones left the stage, Rachael Sage began her set, joined by her band The Sequins featuring Will Wilde on harmonica, Kelly Halloran on violin, and Nicole Collarbone on cello. The evening marked the first show that Collarbone had joined the rest of The Sequins for a show.
As Sage began to open her set, she quickly noticed that her keyboard was faulty and seemed to be skipping notes. She did try to fix it but, in the end, had to retire it and made the brave decision to do the set entirely on guitar.
While Sage is primarily a keyboardist, she handled the situation expertly and pulled off an improvised setlist including songs that had not been played live in years. I am sure it was a real treat for major fans to hear songs that they never thought they would hear live again.
Sage broke up her set with some of her poetry readings, including her poem Magenta and Blue. This further enhanced the closeness of the evening. As we listened to Sage read, the entire room fell silent and was fully engaged in what she was saying.
Her personality and love for music and performance truly shone, with her jokes and funny one liners including ‘Braids out, LET’S ROCK!’ before playing one of her more fast-paced songs.
Overall, the evening was a great success although I am sure Sage was a little disappointed to play a shorter and improvised set. However, it was really a showcase of the musicians’ talent. Collarbone, having never played with The Sequins before, had to pick up all the songs by ear in order to accompany. It also highlighted Sage’s excellent flexibility as an artist and made the evening all the more special for fans, as Sage pointed out that it was a setlist that would never be repeated. Songs included fan-favourite tracks, Canopy, Big Star and Sister Song.
If you’re able to catch one of Sage’s next shows – go for it! The night was an incredibly intimate experience with enjoyable music.
Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Oliver Galbraith/ADRENALINE Magazine.
Tyler Whiting 
Darcy Mitchell 
Emma Turner