Rianne Downey on Tour in Hull Library
Rianne Downey kicks off her album release tour with Amelia Coburn in support.
How northern can you be and still be a northerner? Isn’t Glasgow in the south, if you’re Scottish? Or is it somewhere in the middle? These questions, along with many others, we will not attempt to answer. Instead, a better and more relevant one: why does everyone love Rianne Downey?
I booked these tickets a very long time ago. I had to. Hull Library is not large by music venue standards. I knew the tickets would sell out for her Sunday lunchtime slot. Even when she added an evening show, that sold out too. I think when I booked these were one-off gigs, which were later added to her autumn tour. What this meant, quite unexpectedly, was that Hull on Sunday 12th October would be the very first show in quite a long tour. Lucky, especially as Rianne admits she had not visited Hull before March 2025. It’s okay, no offence taken.
There was no doubt that Rianne would nail the shows yesterday. What was even more endearing is how much she still appreciates and talks about the influence of Paul Heaton. I believe there might have been some welling eyes, if not actual tears. When I first wrote about Rianne in early May, Tennessee Vibes was not yet a thing. Did I really want to write about music again? Did I have time? Gradually the question answered itself. My own lucky breaks this year have been documented previously. But how much credit was Rianne to take for her own luck?
I’ve reached the conclusion that ultimately you make your own luck. Yes, Paul Heaton did spot Rianne covering his famous song, Rotterdam, on YouTube. Without that song, their paths might never have crossed. But cream always rises. Rianne Downey would still have been a star; it just might have taken a little longer and followed a different route.
I believe busking is a strong proving ground for future stars. Ask Ed Sheeran. Zoee Byrne, an Australian now based in Nashville, whom I have written heaps about this year, cut her teeth busking in Scotland. Did she ever run across Rianne Downey? Busking gives you so many gifts: humility, a harsh and involuntary audience, time to make mistakes, time to learn to play and sing and polish your craft. It might even get you noticed. Miller Campbell was first spotted in a karaoke bar. If you are out in public singing, whether in person or on YouTube, there is a chance.
Rianne and band walked on as Glen Campbell’s Rhinestone Cowboy reached full volume. I briefly noted how this amazing 7-day period had started with Glen’s distant cousin, Miller Campbell at Bush Hall, London, last weekend and ended with Rianne Downey walking on to one of the most iconic country tunes of all time. So great to see today’s new stars being inspired by country lore from so many decades ago. As far as coincidences go, how about this one? Rianne recorded her album at Bear Creek in Seattle, Washington, a stone’s throw from where Miller grew up in America’s PNW region. Rianne often mentions Dolly Parton and Fleetwood Mac (Stevie Nicks especially) as inspirations.
We were treated to the entire album yesterday and it’s out this Friday, 17th October, called The Consequence of Love. Interspersed between those new songs were some Beautiful South and Paul Heaton signature tunes such as Don’t Marry Her, Rotterdam, Quicksand and Silly Me. For a few minutes today I was looking for Paul Heaton’s song called Home and finally established that it is a Rianne Downey original. There is an undeniable connection in the way they look at the world, their country inspo and a lot more besides.
This is the most exciting and reassuring aspect of Rianne’s career: that a certain way of looking at life is taking root in the next generation, whether you label them as Millennials or Gen Z. There is a clear-eyed wisdom about it. Funny, sad, whimsical and sharp-edged all at the same time.
It is easy, once you know, to trace a line from Philip Larkin through Paul Heaton and on towards Rianne Downey and others. There is only so far I can credit Hull with any of this. None of these three are from Hull but I like to say they are ‘of’ Hull: we share a sense of humour and a point of view. Larkin and Heaton both chose Hull as a base. There’s just something about my hometown that draws outsiders in, and keeps me coming back. Something more than chip spice will, I am sure, encourage Rianne to stop here again in the future. Did she have time to visit Hull Fair, surely the best northern travelling fair there is?
The show was everything I hoped it would be and more. Why does everyone love Rianne Downey? It goes beyond music or social media. It spans the generations. She is, even now, even after all these years, still grounded and thankful for every member of every audience. Yes, there were a couple of tears. Yes, the carefully scripted notes went out the window. She is very talented, but many others have a lot of talent too. Rianne has something much less common. Call it the common touch, call it pixie dust. What you will find is that it has no name. Is it charisma? No, it’s not that. It has something to do with the way she embodies pure joy and seems to be grateful and happy for everything that comes her way.
Rianne Downey is travelling up, down and across the UK and back again until Christmas. There are tickets here and there but many dates are sold out. Her new album, The Consequence of Love, is out on Friday 17th October and you can pre-order now. Rianne is active on Instagram and TikTok too. There’s a recent and very thorough interview with Rianne here in Rolling Stone.
Rianne Downey
I first noticed Rianne Downey on stage with Paul Heaton at Glastonbury in 2024. I knew that Jacqui Abbott had stepped back from touring and performing but I had not heard of a new singer joining the old boys. As Rianne emerged on stage, I sat up straight. She looked like Stevie Nicks or Dolly in their prime, and sounded every bit as good.
Amelia Coburn
I forget how I found Amelia Coburn but it was not via Rianne Downey. Was it the algorithm? Does she know Ezmay Grace? I cannot remember but when Rianne announced that Amelia would support this tour, I was pleased and not surprised. This time she formed a duo with the talented keyboard player Robyn Errico.
Amelia’s short Instagram bio says it all: folk goth. She plays ukulele on stage, and very proficiently too. Mrs Tennessee Vibes is learning the uke and admired the complex fingerpicking that Amelia managed while still remembering to sing.
I recognised quite a few tunes from my pre-show research. I didn’t know that Amelia was from Middlesbrough, not that far from our childhood seaside haunt, Whitby. Quite a few audience members were from Whitby and other parts of Yorkshire. It is Dracula season, and the gothic is perfectly suited to the autumn and winter on the North Yorkshire coast.
Amelia’s influences include Kafka’s Metamorphosis and silent (?!) German horror films. My sense is that she is deep indeed. Now that I think about it, my favourite horror film, David Lynch’s Eraserhead, is virtually silent. It is easily one of the most terrifying films of all time. Amelia’s music is enchanting and she went across very well with a mainly sober Hull crowd.
Amelia Coburn is active on Instagram and TikTok and her new album is imminent. Her debut album is available on Bandcamp or wherever you stream. She is also on Patreon if you prefer to support her there.
