GIG REVIEW - RAINIE ZENITH ‘REASONS TO HATE ME’ SINGLE LAUNCH @ THE WORKERS CLUB, FITZROY (7/8/22)
Rainie Zenith’s debut single launch offered punters a glimpse into her weird and wonderful world.
Presented at the infamous Workers Club, the room filled with supporters throughout the afternoon as they joined to celebrate Zenith’s debut single, ‘Reasons To Hate Me,’ released on July 12.
The first opener of the afternoon was Bette Foord, armed with her ukulele and all pink getup (ukulele included). Her acoustic set featured fun and quirky tracks such as ‘I Thought I Liked You, Then You Died’, a song about online dating and being ghosted and crowd favourite, ‘Wear A Mask’, which was written during the 2020 Melbourne lockdowns.
Foord played a diverse mix of tracks during her 12-song set, touching on themes of the more comical like ‘Queen Daddy.’ She wasn’t afraid to delve into some deeper themes, including her song ‘Daddy,’ written about losing her dad at a young age.
Overall, Foord brought a fun, happy and very pink presence to the venue and was the perfect opener for the show.
The second act of the day was Misha Bear who put on an electrifying set. With her sister on backing vocals, Bear got the venue up and dancing, especially the kids in the audience. Playing a mix of originals, unreleased tracks as well as covers, Bear brought an unmatched energy, hyping the audience up for the main act.
She played a mix of songs new and old, including ‘Take What You Can Get’, a fun pop song that showcased her strong voice, as well as the emotionally charged track, ‘Playground of Youth’, a song she wrote after having her baby during the Covid lockdowns. The highlight was her cover of Lady Gaga’s ‘Just Dance’, which was accompanied by a complete dance routine performed and choreographed by Bear and her sister.
The 10-track set bought the best vibe to the day. Both Bear and her sister were having the time of their lives, performing her songs and dancing around the whole stage.
The moment approached for our headliner, Rainie Zenith as the small venue quickly filled out and we eagerly awaited what was to come next.
Her performance opened with a viewing of the music video for her debut single ‘Reasons To Hate Me’ a fun, tongue-in-cheek track about just what the name suggests – all the reasons people may not like her.
She then delved into some of her unreleased songs, touching on different themes and ideas inspired by her life. One song for instance was about her love for coffee whilst others touched on more emotional topics such as pre-menstrual syndrome and forbidden love.
While Zenith didn’t mention most of her song titles, she took the time to explain what each song was about, talking and joking with the audience.
One song title that she did mention though was ‘Pushing 30’ all about feeling good no matter what age you are, a fun danceable track, featuring lyrics such as, ‘age is just a number and I feel magnificent’.
The audience couldn’t get enough of her, dancing around the venue and cheering along. The crowd jumped along with her, including one older man who used his crutches to tap along to the beat — as well as shake them around in the air.
Her show finished off with a live performance of her debut single, accompanied by some special guests. She brought everyone who was featured in her music video, including her parents, to thank them and sing her song on stage with them.
While her debut single may be titled ‘Reasons to Hate Me’ it’s hard to find any reasons to hate what was a stellar afternoon.
FOLLOW RAINIE ZENITH ON SOCIALS
