Saint Raymond (real name: Callum Burrows) is a 20 year old singer-songwriter from Nottingham who springboarded into relevance last year after supporting Ed Sheeran on his UK tour. His debut album Young Blood was released in June 2015 and peaked at #15 on the UK iTunes chart. CelebMix headed down to the O2 Ritz in Manchester to check him out.
Filled with excited and slightly drunk teenagers, the venue shone with blue, white and red lights in a poignant Parisian tribute. Opening for Saint Raymond were two support acts: Shannon Saunders, followed by Louis Berry.
Shannon, a blonde Perrie Edwards look-a-like who some may recognise from YouTuber JacksGap’s ‘shed sessions’, stunned the crowd with her impressive vocals and even more impressive skills on an electric, hand-controlled loop pedal. Reminiscent of Halsey, Ellie Goulding and Lana Del Ray, Shannon Saunders is a pop/dance artist to watch.
A stark contrast to Shannon, Louis Berry is your typical Liverpudlian ‘cheeky Nando’s’ candidate, performing a mixture of slow and upbeat guitar-driven songs with a bit of a country edge. Despite mishaps with a broken drumkit and a guitarist that hadn’t shown up to soundcheck, Louis Berry performed a really confident set, even if he did have some questionable facial expressions.
Often mistaken for a band, Saint Raymond is actually a solo artist. He’s basically The 1975 meets Arctic Monkeys, but more drums-based. Oh and he doesn’t scrimp on the flashing lights.
Saint Raymond performs on a black stage with a band wearing black outfits. It’s all very indie. Callum himself was rocking a leather jacket, Harry Styles boots and, um, 2014 Harry Styles hair.
Highlight performances of the night were I Want You, Don’t Fail Me Now, Wild Heart and the album title track Young Blood – definite must-listens!
Abandoning his guitar to cover Major Lazer & DJ Snake’s pop-hit Lean On, Saint Raymond had the whole room singing along.
He then went on to perform the emotional tune As We Are Now with the colours of the French flag shining behind him – a moving tribute.
Joining in with every lyric, the fans proved their loyalty and were treated to two exclusives: a duet with Shannon Saunders for track Movie in My Mind, and a new song from the elusive “album 2”.
Obviously inspired by industry buddy Ed Sheeran, Saint Raymond left the crowd singing by themselves as he exited the stage before his encore, returning to perform fan-favourites Never Let You Go and Bonfires.
Of course, a gig wouldn’t be a gig without security guards dragging a few fainters over the barrier. It was a lively crowd. Saint Raymond himself commented, “you’re all rowdy and I f*cking love it.”
The final song was Fall At Your Feet, during which a mosh pit started and Callum jumped down into an excited front row. It’s definitely fair to say that Saint Raymond puts on a dynamic show – one that leaves your ears ringing for hours after.
A successful yet still fairly undiscovered artist, if you like The 1975, Ed Sheeran, Bastille, The Wombats, Arctic Monkeys or Mumford and Sons, you’ll like Saint Raymond.
Still want more? Head over to http://saintraymond.co.uk/ or follow @Callum_SR on twitter.