Allan Rayman

Le Pop-up du Label - Paris, France

November 5, 2016

Set in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, Le Pop-Up du Label is a very small venue/bar which made for an incredibly intimate performance by genre-bending singer Allan Rayman.

The show started with a unidentifiable man alone, face covered with his cap and hood on stage.  He played atmospheric sounds on his electric guitar that reverberated throughout the room.  The tightly packed crowd had been drawn in.  This continued for two to three minutes before Allan took the stage and began to sing without any introduction.  A mysterious, but engaging start to the concert, indeed.

Rayman went on to sing and briefly speak in English to what seemed to be a mostly French crowd. He had the bodies of the French and English speakers alike moving, and our eyes locked on him. His raspy soulful voice along with his powerful lyrics about love and death soothed the crowd and sent shivers down my spine. His songs combined elements of R&B, Soul, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock, and Electronic music (not EDM). His set list included "Lucy the Tease," "27," "Much Too Much," and "Graceland."

After only 30 or so minutes, he stepped off the front of the stage, proceeded to give me a high five, and disappeared down a hallway to the backstage area. The crowd, allured by the mystique of Rayman's short performance, needed more. After cheering for an encore, Rayman returned to the stage joking about how he wasn't even sure he was allowed to do such a thing. The crowd erupted and he began to sing yet again.

Allan Rayman put together a condensed 35-40 minute show of pure goodness for the ears, and left the crowd again wanting more. After speaking with him after the show, he mentioned that this is why he keeps his shows short. If you want to hear more or watch one of his intriguing music videos (more like short films), check out his website, his YouTube page, his Facebook, or listen to him on Spotify.