In a performance that was nothing short of sunny, Aria Wells – known professionally by stage name Greentea Peng – provided soothing beats and up-tempo breakdowns that melted swimmingly into the warmth of the night. After bursting onto the Neo-soul and R&B scene in the summer of 2019 with viral hits ‘Downers’ and ‘Mr. Sun (miss da sun)’, Wells has been continuing to develop her artistic credibility. Her debut album, MAN MADE, landed in 2021, and was followed by the mixtape GREENZONE 108 a little over a year later, testifying to her dedication and proficiency.
Continuing the uppercase theme despite her relatively chilled-out music, Wells released TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY as her second studio album in March of this year. The album, accompanied by an extensive tour of the UK and Ireland, sees Wells expanding her lyrical content and instrumentation, moving further into reggae and trip-hop.
A show of any capacity at the century-old, gothic-inspired Albert Hall on Peter Street is bound to be a spiritual experience of sorts, and the venue’s stained-glass windows reflected the early May sunset as the opening act, Goya Gumbani, performed a rap-heavy set. Greentea Peng herself took this experience to the next level, preaching to a congregation of almost 2000 spellbound fans through a show that blended slow and steady instrumentals with softly grating vocals to slowly build an elevation in energy.
The scent of the lavender incense on stage seemingly sent the audience into a trance: looking around the room, it was difficult to see a single person not swaying to the sound of her songs, with partners embracing, friends dancing, and even people on their own completely letting loose and being free for those few moments. The crowd spanned people from all walks of life, with the age demographic truly being too wide to specify. It seems as though Wells is doing something right, as pulling off a sold-out show at a venue of this capacity is no easy feat.
Wells needs little more than a spin of her recent album TELL DEM IT’S SUNNY to prove that she’s a true vocalist, but her performance saw her showcase her unique range, using the power of her song to capture the attention of every single person in the room. Even through slower-paced tracks like ‘Green’ and ‘Top Steppa’, the energy didn’t subdue, thanks to how entrancing the rawness in her vocal proved itself to be: Wells proved that a high tempo isn’t always the ultimate way to grab an audience’s attention.
What made this show particularly special were the handful of times Wells restarted her track, clearly unafraid to signal to her live band that something was wrong. “Not afraid to admit when I make a mistake, you know?”, the artist declared. This is a testament to the artistry of someone who is truly in touch with their craft – devotion to detail of this degree can only come from a place of true passion. “I fucking love this song”, she later declared upon starting ‘Hu Man’, once again demonstrating the confidence she rightfully places in her own music.
The sky-high lighting of the Albert Hall was the perfect backdrop to a breath-taking encore by Wells and her full band; a performance including the invigorating ‘I AM (Reborn)’ and a surprising cover of Groove Armada‘s dance classic ‘Superstylin’ that left her with the complete and undivided attention of 2000 people.
Her recent album was released to rave reviews and praise from music-lovers globally, and, with such high levels of talent, it would be a good idea to keep an eye on Greentea Peng: it’s doubtless that she is headed for higher levels of fame, all it takes it one experience of her artistry to get it.
