Ry X is one of Australia’s foremost writers and producers and yet, much of his fame actually comes from outside of Australia. After signing to Stockholm based label Dumont Dumont, the performer has gone from strength to strength, playing at some of the world’s most iconic venues and collaborating with A-listers like Drake. 

The City Recital Hall was packed out for Ry X’s two shows that formed part of his Bluesfest tour. The venue was perfect for the artist, with the ethereality of Ry’s tone being well supported by the superb City Recital Hall acoustics. 

“Thank you for having me and for being here tonight,” said Ry as he walked out onto the stage. “It’s been so long since I’ve been here playing music.”

Indeed, it had been over a decade since Ry last performed in Sydney but he very much made up for lost time with “Sweat”, which had the crowd transfixed from the very first notes as the smoothness of Ry’s tone and the poignancy of his writing permeated through the venue. 

“Being home has been so beautiful and so layered,” he said. “It’s special to come back to the place which has created the clay of who you are. It’s been such a beautiful grounding.”

Much of Ry’s music has a similar vibe to it but this meant that the concert flowed especially well, with seamless transitions between songs as Ry took the audience on a journey through his music. 

Even so, some of his biggest hits were especially well received with “Berlin” being performed superbly. The crowd were incredibly receptive to Ry’s music, with the singer receiving a standing ovation after “The Water” which combined Ry’s smooth vocals with a pulsating electronic beat. Ry’s ability to mix up instrumentals, vocals and electronic production tools was superb throughout the night, and this led to a very cohesive performance. The mid-show standing ovation is rare, but for Ry, it was thoroughly well deserved.

With much of his family in the audience, Ry gave a shoutout to many of them, with his niece featuring on the cello for some of his biggest songs (and playing incredibly well). 

“It’s been such a beautiful grounding coming home,” he said.

As he closed out the set with “Only”, the crowd responded in turn after a fantastic night of music. The ovation was huge and reflective of an audience who had waited a very long time to see Ry X back in Sydney and were hoping that it would not be as long before he returned again. 

“The meaning doubles when I’m coming home,” he said. “I’m very grateful and I’m looking forward to coming back.”

Overall, this was a fabulous concert, with superb musicianship, songwriting and execution. Ry is a performer at the top of his craft, and it would not be a surprise to see him back very soon after the fantastic reception he received after a great show. 

Rating: ★★★★1/2

Ry X – City Recital Hall – 23^rd April 2025