Ritho at the Old Blue Last: a night of high-energy, alt-pop magnetism

"Fuck it, I'm just going to release a new song every three weeks because I want to," - alt-pop’s new kid on the block says with an endearing shrug. Sure, the industry might not work that way, but is he really doing it for them? 

Ritho live at The Old Blue Last - 11/02/2025

The group dive in with the pumping, twenty-one-pilots-influenced welcome to my mind, leading people to shed their mid-winter puffers, already drawn into Ritho’s world. The crowd isn’t huge, but their energy is palpable. 

Ritho's 2023 debut EP Ritho’s World explored anxiety and depersonalisation over indie-electronic soundscapes. Now, a year and a half later, the Nottingham artist’s set to embark on a UK tour, with new music pushing his moody sound further. As he and his band take the stage at the Old Blue Last, dressed in sleek black, one word comes to mind: cool. 

Running a hand through his thick hair, the BBC’s ‘Hot Artist for 2025’ exudes quiet confidence - but his music reveals a more vulnerable side. Each song embodies two personas: Thea, his insecurities; Quinn, his lighter thoughts. “I’m just the puppet”, he says.

The Old Blue Last stage is small, but the band’s presence is certainly felt on riff-heavy, Hard Life-esque Call My Bluff. Guitarist and musical director Adam and bassist Emma grin at each other, sharing a moment of unspoken understanding, as if in on a private joke.

The energy peaks with Earth, where Ritho’s voice carries the emotive timbre of British indie acts like Glass Animals. Earth straddles the line between personal and political - an anthem about the neverending news cycle, and part of a string of releases hinting at something bigger on the horizon. Ritho grew up on New Order and Talking Heads, their influence clear in his pairing of emotive lyrics with upbeat instrumentals. With the beat of Earth swinging like a pendulum, the crowd links arms and chants: “Why don’t you bring me down to earth?”

Static is the night’s emotional climax, a tribute to a late close friend. The rest of the band watches in silence as Ritho’s reverb-soaked falsetto fills the transfixed room. Written on a quiet 4am night, the song was never intended for release. “I think he’d love to see it on stage,” he smiles. 

Towards the end, Ritho makes a joke about encores. At The Old Blue Last, the only way off stage is down the steps and… into the crowd? “There’s something a bit lame about that,” Ritho quips to a chorus of laughter.

Infectious synth-pop track Calm Me Down rounds off the night. Drummer Josh attacks the kit with thunderous pop-punk-inspired fills, and the crowd erupts. The lyric “I don’t think breathing’s going to stop the internet from being mean” hits hard - a modern musician’s reality. 

Ritho wears his heart on his sleeve. He’s not trying to be someone else - he’s simply sharing his art. Everything else is secondary.