Through the Eyes of a Fan Girl: A Beautiful Journey of Passion and Connection

Wednesday, the 13th of November–the day had finally arrived. Today would be the day I got to see Rachel Chinouriri live in concert, in Birmingham!

This wouldn’t be the first time though. I originally met Rachel at her album signing for her debut album, What a Devastating Turn of Events, which was an incredible experience.

We had a chilled Q&A session and heard some stripped-back, acoustic tracks from the album.

If you haven’t heard it already – where have you been?!

Before I could get concert-ready, I had college to go to. Luckily, the lesson didn’t last for long—but perhaps it was because my friend Keisha, from college, and I were extremely excited, and were yapping to everyone about the concert we were going to—mentioning the VIP experience and what we should stick in Rachel’s tour scrapbook we had seen online from previous shows. We were also very excited to meet friends we had met online, through Rachel’s music, as we had only talked to them in group chats.

Finally, we finished our lesson and rushed back home to get ready, aiming to leave by 2 PM for the train.

However … surprise, surprise — after getting ready and having lunch, we ended up being an hour late to the train station!

Once we arrived in Birmingham, we met our friends Amiira, Char, and Billy at the station, who are also self-proclaimed Darlings (the Rachel Chinouriri fandom name). We then walked to the venue.

There was a decent-sized queue forming, but before we joined it, we decided to take some photos in front of the sign that said in huge letters ‘RACHEL CHINOURIRI – SOLD OUT’! This is such a huge milestone for Rachel, and I could not be prouder of her!

Then joining the queue, we spoke to a couple of people, before going to Kaitlin and Em—two superfans who have been profound in Rachel’s promotion through social media.

Once more people arrived, we started doing interviews for DarlingsHQ—a fan page centered around Rachel Chinouriri and the love her fans share for her. This was a new addition fans had implemented themselves, outside Rachel’s shows, and I found this a fun change, as it brought a lot more energy, hyping us up for the concert.

Kaitlin brought a top-secret flag for the Darlings to sign. It had been signed at all of the previous shows and was to be passed to Rachel on the last date of the tour.

At 5 PM, we had another experience set up by DarlingsHQ, which was an exchange of handwritten letters. I completely forgot mine at home and didn’t realise until I got there, but Kaitlin and Em made sure that there were spare notepads and pens to include everyone, so I had the chance to quickly rewrite mine. This was a fun experience, and it let us get to know more about another Darling and keep in touch with them.

After a while, security came out to set the barricades up, and once tickets had been checked, it was time to go in. Since we had VIP—an extra Rachel Chinouriri offered—Keisha and I were handed a signed poster upon entrance and then went to the room early.

We saw the merch stand near the bar, but we decided to wait until Rachel had performed her acoustic set before going over and making impulsive purchases!

When the star-girl Rachel came out, the whole room was filled with warmth, excitement, and energy. She spoke for a little, talking about her tour scrapbook and she made sure we passed it around to include anything we wanted! I included my Minion edit I had made previously and the photo from the album signing. Keisha put in a photo of her and Rachel with a flower!

While this was happening, Rachel began singing two of her songs, with AC—her guitarist—on guitar.

She first played Pocket, which was so beautiful to hear live. Everyone was listening so intently to the raw emotion and calming melodies.

After, she treated us to an unreleased song called Can We Talk About Isaac?, which was amazing! I need that song released ASAP so I can add it to my playlist!

You could feel the love Rachel has for Isaac, her boyfriend, while she was singing, and you couldn’t help but smile.

Once Rachel had finished, it was question time! It was so beautiful to hear to people ask questions while Rachel listened so intently and answered with kindness. One question I remember so clearly was: ‘If you were a hair accessory, which would you be?’, to which Rachel answered a hair bow.

Before leaving to get ready for her official set, Rachel did a group photo, which was taken by her lovely photographer Lauren Harris—who I look up to immensely!

Rachel spoke to each of us personally before she had to leave, and I was able to get a photo with her on my disposable camera.

I also gave her a present—a teddy bear with Rachel Chinouriri’s meme album cover (iykyk 👀), and I got a guitar hair clip for AC.

While we waited for the support act, everyone anticipated the start of the main show, taking photos—or, like Kaitlin, playing Block Blast, which has now become a tour tradition for some fans.

The lights dimmed, and the lovely Leonie Biney came out to open for Rachel. When I tell you I fell in love with her music, I did—right, then, and there, and have been obsessed since. Her voice is so soothing and breath-taking, that you instantly feel relaxed when listening to her. If you haven’t checked out this incredible woman, I think you should!

After Leonie’s set, it was Rachel time! Everyone was so excited, waiting to hear the start of Garden of Eden, which was breathtaking to hear live.

Throughout the concert, you felt the true artistry and love Rachel has for music. Everyone felt incredibly loved and comfortable, as Rachel has carved such a safe space for her fans, giving them somewhere to express themselves and their emotions fully.

Rachel’s setlist consisted of:

1. Garden of Eden
2. Cold Call
3. I’m Not Perfect (But I’m Trying)
4. It Is What It Is
5. Dumb Bitch Juice
6. What a Devastating Turn of Events
7. I Hate Myself – a beautiful speech before this had me tearing up
8. Even – in Birmingham, Leonie came out for Cat Burns’ parts, but in London, Cat Burns herself came out!
9. My Everything
10. So My Darling
11. Robbed – not a dry eye in the house
12. My Blood – diabolical, this was straight after Robbed
13. Pocket
14. The Hills
15. Can We Talk About Isaac
16. All I Ever Asked
17. Never Need Me

During Never Need Me, Rachel jumped into the crowd to perform with us! I’ve never experienced this at a concert before…I think it shows the trust and respect Rachel has for her fans, which is reciprocated by them.

I can’t wait to see Rachel get her flowers—she deserves them—and to see more and more people fall in love with her, just like we already have.

I can’t wait to be able to go to more shows by Rachel Chinouriri, because it’s not just a concert—it’s an experience filled with love, respect, and community.

Unless otherwise stated, Photography & Text Copyright 2025 © Kate Davies/ADRENALINE Magazine. All rights reserved.