RØRY– KK'S STEEL MILL, 09 NOVEMBER 2025

BY SHARI BLACK VELVET

Cyndi Lauper recently said, ‘The little kid in me still believes that rock ‘n’ roll can save the world,’ and we would be inclined to agree – especially when an artist such as RØRY is alive and touring music venues. RØRY gives hope and healing to many, at a time when it is needed the most.

It’s pouring down outside as we’re queuing to get into KK’s Steel Mill. The queue is moving at snail speed – and so, when we finally get into the venue, we discover we’ve missed half of opening band Defences. They sound fantastic from what we do catch. SkyDxddy, who follows, also puts on an outstanding show, making the whole line-up a really stellar bill.  

Before RØRY comes on stage, a number of recordings of her hubby, Rich, grace the speakers, inviting everyone to go to DeadGirlWalking.com to sign up for a chance to win some merchandise from the merch table. 

Switching things up from her last UK tour, RØRY opens with 'In The Bible' from her latest album, 'RESTORATION', instantly commanding the room. “Wolverhampton, it is my first time here,” she tells the crowd after the second song, ‘if pain could talk, what would it say?’ The audience replies with a loud cheer. Half of the crowd have seen RØRY before, while the other half are new to her live shows. All are delighted to be there. “It’s only a RØRY show when you are going to hear ‘Baby Vendetta’ into ‘DEGRADATION’,” the singer says. The former is a bouncy pop-punk tune about a ‘baby with a vendetta’, while ‘DEGRADATION’ is a scathing song about truth and honesty after a painful experience. RØRY’s songs are about the pain and struggles that she has experienced, all come from the heart, and all are raw and real. “Those emotions are the reason, not the only reason, that this bitch has been in therapy,” she laughs. 

RØRY asks the crowd who is in the 37 Club – her Facebook group, and tells them the community means everything. She mentions how they make bracelets for each other, give advice to each other, donate tickets to people less fortunate and is the best thing about her music. 

‘ALTERNATIVE’ is an emotional song, one RØRY wrote when she never imagined she’d be standing on stages like this. She thought her chance was over because of what she’d been through and that she wasn’t going to get to live her dreams. She says she’s so happy to be wrong. ‘ALTERNATIVE’ is a stunner, made all the more so with fans swaying and singing along. 

RØRY gets off the stage and makes her way to the back of the venue to sing ‘Jesus & John Lennon’ from the mixing desk. Before the start of the song, she thanks the crowd for making a ‘delusional ADHD bitch’s dreams come true’, adding that, “If anyone’s a late bloomer like me, dreams don’t have an expiration date. If there’s breath in your lungs, you’ve got another chance to do it.” She talks about losing her mum to cancer 19 years ago, and how she wishes her mum could see her play. She talks about grief and how there are people in the room that have also lost members of their family. She dedicates ‘Jesus & John Lennon’ to everyone whose life has been lost too soon. It’s such an emotional moment. Members of the audience are also holding up a photo of a young girl called Emmy, who passed away. RØRY reaches for one of the photos and holds it up for the rest of the song, later dedicating the show to Emmy. 

After the powerful, healing song, ‘hold on’, RØRY lightens the mood, drawing the Dead Girl Walking merch competition winner, before then playing a new song, which just happens to be called ‘Dead Girl Walking’. It has a very catchy chorus and receives a great response.

‘MORALITY $UICIDE’ (which grabs you by the feels), ‘WOLVES’ and ‘UNCOMPLICATED’ continue the set, before an encore of ‘Hometown’, sang and played acoustically by just RØRY and her guitarist, Hattie Moran. She talks about going back to her hometown of Southampton to play a show. She says she didn’t think she was strong enough to go back and make it through a gig without her parents there, but, thanks to her fans, she felt able to do it and went home to Southampton. ‘Hometown’ is another song that comes straight from the heart, full of real, genuine, heartbreaking emotion.

The anthemic ‘SORRY I’M LATE’ and ‘BLOSSOM’ are kept until last, and bring hope, inspiration and empowerment. “If you are fighting addiction, if you are fighting depression, if you are being abused, I want you to know, you are stronger than that. Wolverhampton, take this one thing away: you are fucking loved, you are powerful, and I fucking love you,” she expresses before the final song. And the amount of love that is radiating right back at RØRY from the room is equally as powerful. In the last few years, RØRY has shown that she is resilient, that, against the odds and with hard work and conviction, she has been able to overcome any obstacles, glow up and achieve her dreams – and it’s something that you can do too. RØRY’s brand of rock ‘n’ roll is most definitely helping to save the world, one concert at a time. 

PS. A shout out and thank you to the 37 Club member that came up to me after the show and gave me one of the bracelets she had made. It was a lovely, unexpected surprise and end to the night, and just reiterates how kind and lovely RØRY’s fanbase is. 

Read our previous RØRY review HERE