ReN walked onstage with his stylized logo behind him in white characters against a black background, and triggered a funky beat with his pedals as he layered guitar tracks overtop. At first, he applied rhythm layers of classical guitar, and then started playing leads before delivering the first vocals. Like a hybrid of Baths and Ed Sheeran, but funkier and – obviously more Japanese – ReN managed to command the attention of hundreds of fans all by himself, with the energy of a young Kurt Cobain fronting his power trio. Few artists would want to attempt this feat, let alone manage to pull it off. ReN, however, does so in spades, and with energy to spare.

He started off the second track acoustically with a guitar like a mini Martin, and then added a drum loop to it after about eight bars. This was followed by the addition of a substantially more punishing kick drum layered over the whole. When his voice finally arrived to deliver the first lyrics, it cut the mix perfectly – with timbers and rhythms that added idyllically to the arrangement already in motion. The hypnotizing sound drew more and more spectators into the Red Marquee, as ReN delivered infectious choruses as satisfying as Godiva chocolates. Truly, this young man is a world-class talent; shifting between Japanese and English lyrics as if there were multiple vocalists on stage with him, and singing with the proficiency of a young Sting.

His fourth track began with rhythms reminiscent of a mix of Churches and Imagine Dragons. Once again, few people would want to attempt this feat, and fewer still could pull it off. However, ReN does so with calm, collected aplomb, and the audience clapped along strongly to each and every downbeat; the latter being as tight as anything Avicii ever made. The video projected on the screen behind him – like some manner of interstellar voyage – seemed to echo a popular feeling that the world could be ReN’s oyster.

In between the fourth and the fifth track, ReN took the time to address the crowd, thanking them for being there, and giving thanks for the wonderful weather; as we had received a thunderstorm warning, but none had materialized. He then told his fans that he was going to play a slow song for them, and he proceeded to deliver something of a finger-picked lovesong – using only his voice and his guitar – as something of a blue and purple cosmos swirled on the screen behind his head.

He began his sixth song in a classic Ed Sheeran style, by building a beat on his acoustic guitar, using his looping pedal, and then proceeding to strum chords and singing overtop. However, even with just a simple drum beat, his acoustic guitar and his voice, ReN’s hold on his audience never seemed to falter; as he shifted deftly between falsetto and his normal voice on the choruses; as if singing a duet with a woman beside him.

Twenty-six minutes into his set, ReN took a short break to announce that, in the absence of the ability to play any concerts, he had produced a new album which is coming out next month. He then explained that he will take it on tour starting in October, and the crowd applauded in support. As the applause died down, he played another song simply acoustically, with illustrations on the screen of a cartoon girl walking with an umbrella, as ReN sang “Goodbye, my love!” for the choruses. His next track was a similar song, but with a more positive feel, and three layers of guitar, as he chimed, “You’ll be fine! I’ll be fine!” on all of the choruses. Ironically, he stopped singing for about eight bars, after which he admitted that he had forgotten all the lyrics. The audience then laughed and applauded in support once again.

With about twenty-four minutes remaining in his set, ReN started a song with a heavily funky chord strum, and muffled leads over top, as a light display resembling the human bloodstream danced behind his head. Dozens of fans clapped on the twos and fours as a white sailboat coasted over the aforementioned bloodstream, and Ren sang, “Here I stand. It’s my existence”.

With time for about six more songs in his set, ReN delivered a simple acoustic song while playing kick drum sounds with his right palm, as a pitch-black screen loomed largely behind him. Ironically, the chorus possessed the lyrics “we are the lights”. To end this song, he repeated the chorus ad infinitum, while adding more and more backing vocals and Radiohead-like leads; making it a true anthem.

After the applause died down, he spoke about the challenges of our era, and how he had had so many problems in the previous year, but that his last number was a song of perseverance called “One Last Try”. By this point, the socially-distanced crowd stretched out way beyond the limits of the venue, almost into the forest beyond it; most probably drawn in by ReN’s hypnotic hymns of hope. As the song drew to a close, the young singer let out an ever-so-humble, “Arigatou!” and then the crowd cheered, and everyone left the venue.