Really enjoyed hearing Ren perform with his band for the first time! There's no shortage of interesting elements to analyze between the vocals, the instrumentation, the arrangement, all of it. Hope y'all enjoy! What else from Ren do I still need to check out?

Peter, Please, Please, PLEASE! listen to the Big Push "Swan Song" I really think you will appreciate it and enjoy it!

Back on 74

Back on 74 is a great reaction video because of the range of vocals in it! One of the versatile vocalist/instrumentalists I’ve come across in my 55 years!

Ren's mother is a vocal coach and his father plays lute and lyre in a group which plays 12th and 13th cent court music.

Trouble So Hard is such an important song to Ren that he got the rights to sample Vera Hall's original for the track he just dropped last week (called Troubles).

Ren took singing lessons with an opera singer during the pandemic. I have seen Ren play guitar, bass, piano, melodica, drums and trombone.

I didn't see anyone mention the other members of the band. Ren Gill: bass and vocals Gorran Kendall: guitar strap tech, acoustic guitar, and vocals Romain Axisa: Electric guitar Glenn Chambers: Drums Ren, Gorran, and Romain all trade vocals and all three guitars as needed. Gorran and Romain also have solo music careers and have their own KZfaq channels with their own music.

Ren sings from his soul, a love for music, and a playful ADHD brain. Definitely one of the most interesting vocalists to listen to cause you never know what he’ll do next. And while it might not be technically on point, it just works.

@peterbarber you definitely have to ck out REN and Sam Tomkins busking with “It’s a Man’s World”… that really shows both of their vocal abilities

Back on 74 is an awsome track where he utilizes great back up singers and you get more of his singing voice. I hope you also check out the guitarist Romain Axisa -good bye good days. He is french and his accent bleeds into his singing voice and sounds amazing.

**ACHIEVEMENT UNLOCKED** congratulations! You have discovered new ren friends The Big Push 😊 im so glad you finally got around to this one, its one of my favorite videos from them 🥹 and ren is an absolute BEAST on the bass, there are other big push songs where he plays it too. Im glad you loved it! 😊💜💜

I remember when I started watching reactions by professional artists a few years ago, there's was often a bit of snobbery surrounding the imperfect pitch and emotion-driven freestyle dynamics of storytellers like the Ren/The Big Push (although not actually TBP, of course!) and talented mainstream artists like Billie Eilish and Lana Del Ray. I rarely see that attitude anymore and it's thanks to people like yourself and Chris Liepe and Elizabeth Zharoff who add a wonderful technical layer to these reactions, but who also understand that it is not the only lens for appreciating art. Great stuff, thanks!

Oh my! I’m so glad you’re doing this. Love the Big Push.

I'd love to see you do the Back on 74 / Message in a bottle Retake.

So much beauty in imperfection. Ren talks about how his goal during performances is to be completely "in flow," no longer thinking, just feeling. Highly recommend checking out their song Swan Song for some great harmonizing.

Ren absolutely uses his tongue to shape his singing. He reminds me at times of Anthony Newly, an older British stage and film star, who also visibly used his tongue in his singing. Ren plays guitar, bass, piano, melodica, drums and who knows what else, all self-taught over the years he was sick in bed.

More Ren please :)

That broken voice is how you would sing the old time working in the fields and singing about your sorrows. Gospel come jazz.

Ren has said he can figure out pretty much any instrument given time. He regularly plays guitar, bass, drums & piano with other things here & there. He also uses his voice for any noise he might need at any time, which isn’t really common for a lot of musicians to spontaneously use. I think it’s from singing on the street from age 12 onward & being poor, so he used what he had, which was mainly his voice when stranded on a corner with only a guitar & he says he started out without even an amp. Something to check out is the first video the Big Push ever taped for their original Swan Song. It’s a renaissance style harmonic piece of beauty recorded in an old cathedral. Ren whips out a melodica from nowhere at some point. 💜

I love opera, these perfectly trained voices - great - a real pleasure! Over the years I have learned to appreciate many genres and styles of music. But, I have to say - the freedom that shines through Ren's performances is just as enjoyable to hear and see. This artist impresses me on another level! Great reaction to this performance and there is so much more to discover! I really liked that you - as a trained opera singer - were able to enjoy this performance as well. Greetings from Germany 👏👏👏👍🤝🙋‍♀️

Ren play, Piano, All Guitars, and Drums. He also does all of his own productions and mixing. I was glad to see you appreciate his styling to be free of restraints. Ren said he has taken lessons, but they were more for voice preservation. The Band: 2nd singer is Gorran, Lead Guitar, Romain, Drums, Glenn..

Ren! Plays lead guitar, acoustic guitar, Bass, piano, and melodica---also drums although not as well😆 Makes all the beats and production in his videos as well. Amazing man, thanks for this!

This is my favorite of his busking videos. I think you really get a great sense of his singing here, as well as the camaraderie among the guys in the group.

He's self taught on guitar, bass, drums and piano. He also beatboxes

Swan Song, Praise you, English man in New York for more singing from The Big Push. Thanks I appreciate all the education in your reactions.

Yayyyy more ren please! I joined your patreon to vote for Ren but he hasn’t come up yet 😊 and he plays guitar, bass, piano, drums and a little bit of cello lol

There are alot of busking videos with Big Push - it shot the sheriff and war pigs (the red suspenders versions). Along the same line of mashups - they did these boots made for walking/satisfaction/everbody in a laundrymat. Lots of great original songs also. I think some mentioned Sam Tompkins also.

Fine reaction. I appreciate your knowledge and insight. If you do more of The Big Push be prepared for Romain's voice. Romain is the lead guitarist and he's got quite the French accent.

I love how much I learn from your analyses. I've heard this performance so many times but you helped me see and hear much of it for the first time. ❤

So great. A cool Big Push t listen to is Bongo Bong

Ya gotta do their What Kinda Woman is This!!! Its unreal how versatile they are!!!

he's a rare diamond, such a talent, after Corvyx he is probably one of the most amazing artists I've ever listened to.

Loved this! If you haven't checked out Ren's retake of Back on 74/Message in a Bottle, please do. Also, The Big Push's Swan Song is amazing to show off their singing abilities and harmonies. Ren plays guitar, bass, piano, drums among other instruments 💜💜

It's great to hear a discussion about their singing and playing styles. I simply know that it always puts a smile in my heart to see The Big Push as a group. Gorran Kendall is the other singer here. Romain Axisa is on the guitar solo. If you are interested in delving into Romain a bit his song Time After Time live at St Augustines is 1000% emotive. Even on your own time, it is worth experiencing. And for mind blowing bass guitar check out the band Dirty Loops (plus their singer is also amazing) and the drummer is off the charts. Another one that's worth experiencing even without a reaction analysis.

Great reaction, Peter. My absolute favorite of theirs is "I Shot the Sheriff/Road to Zion/Hip Hop." If you do it, do the one where Ren is wearing the red suspenders... it's awesome.

I think he’d be the first to say he’s a lyricist, poet and producer first, singer second. I love his voice BECAUSE it’s everywhere and passionate and raw and not perfect. That said, when he’s busking it’s much more loose than when he’s recording. He’s truly an enigma though and can sing, play, rap, act, a million different ways.

Superb analysis as always! The video where Ren makes some of the oddest and most unexpected vocal choice (which are amazing as always) is FRED AGAIN MASH UP. I think you'd have a blast analyzing that one (plus he does killer cool things on his acoustic guitar.)

This is definitely what you might say is an ‘informed’ reaction.👏👏👏

TheBig Push was one of the most successful busking bands at the time. They broke up when Ren left for treatment in Canada. I would love to hear you react to I Shot the Sheriff/Zion/Hip Hop. Do the video where Ren is wearing red suspenders.

This is super-interesting. Thanks.

Both Gorran Kendall (the acoustic) and Romain Axisa (the lead) have their own music out there. Both are good, although self-evidently quite different from one another. Romain Axisa is very interesting to me. His instrumental pieces, I think, are just plain beautiful and his combined vocal and instrumental pieces are also very much to my musical taste. I would value your analysis of his vocals. Time After Time showcases both his vocal and guitar skills. Goodbye Good Days is also good for showing off the purity of his top register (not that I really know what I'm talking about in saying this). As for Ren, that young man is a force of nature.

Absolutely think u would love swan song by the big push amazing singing

Oh, and I Shot the Sheriff / Road to Zion /Hip Hop utter class!

One of my absolute favourites, so much love between all the guys. I could honestly list 100 tracks to do, but next I think should be a current one Back on 74 as it is OUT OF THIS WORLD! Love your reactions to Ren , you give so much brilliant insights of his supreme talent! The Big Push have many amazing tracks, Praise You is stunning.

Ren knows how to play 5-8 instruments he has done two videos with the piano and on his Money Game 3 video he opens with him on the piano and he even wrote the music with the string quartet ...he dabbles and listen different genres there is some think he is only a rap artist they are missing out on his full talent all the members of the Big Push are very talented and worth checking out their solo stuff I know Romain also knows piano too

Phil's wife Susan here. Loved your reaction to this great music, learnt why I appreciate it so much. Check out Ren's new song "Troubles"

Yes, Ren plays guitar, bass, piano, drums, the melodica and I believe a bit of cello( which I’m sure helped him compose the string section for MG3)- add to that how he also plays the strings of our hearts ❤

Ren's tongue does have a mind of it's own, even when he's not singing. Sometimes it looks like he's chewing gum, but no. I think sticking it out is more an unconscious mannerism than technique.

He's a beast on piano, too.

His guitar strap broke mid song, so they switched it during the song, you should check it TBP Praise You

Great reaction !! Always look forward to you breaking his music down. There is no vocals but his song/video - Mackay shows his amazing piano skills. Was for his friend who died. Highly recommend to see his instrumental abilities

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE check out the REN video titled “The Tale of Jenny & Screech” Official music video (Full), which is a trilogy. I think the entire video is about 13 1/2 minutes long. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/ir9xodSCkpOviGQ.htmlsi=kJl4qCJRSCTh41H4 Each is it’s own song but they are related and should be viewed back to back to get the full context. Once the third song was released, they compiled all 3 songs into one video for that very reason. They consist of “Jenny’s Tale”, “Screech’s Tale” and Violet’s Tale” and each tale was made in one shot. Be prepared to have your mind blown!😮😮😮

Sure you will enjoy covers of Englishman in New York, Bongo Bong and Praise You, all Big Push and harmonies galore!

In other words, they are singing naturally, as against much plastic sounding mainstream, extruded singing. Ren and the Big Push have been a breath of fresh air to listen to. I am glad you explained their diction. I do sometimes find the words hard to make out on initially hearing them sing a song. I thought it was just me!! You can't go wrong with the Big Push. Glenn Chambers (Irish) on Drums; Gorran Kendall (British) acoustic/singing this time; Romain Axisa (French) on lead guitar who often sings. Big Push initial suggestions; Swan Song (Ren on melodica) , Praise you, An Englishman in New York, It's Alright, These boots are made for Walking/Satisfaction/Everybody, Bongo Bong... Of course their classic - I shot the Sherriff/Road to Zion/Hip Hop mash up (Ren in red suspenders) and War Pigs are some of their most watched also. Please, for your next one, do Ren and Sam Tompkins - Earned It/Man's World/Falling, then Ren and Sam (MC Sessions) Blind Eyed. I bet you would also enjoy hearing Ren "sing" in both "Back on 74/Message in a Bottle" and his Fred Again mashup which are both fairly recent.

Back on 74/Message in a Bottle is a really great one for his singing. Thanks for your expertise!

Thanks, Peter, for this R&A. I loved every second of it and will probably be listening to it a few times, to pick up on things I've missed. Ren is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Such beautiful honesty in what he does!

Loved your reaction and musical breakdown, as usual Peter. Ren sure loves his Nina Simone and it shows. Thank you!

I really appreciated your input - I learned a lot about what was going on between the band members and it made them all come together as one organic entity. Like everyone else is begging you here - you gotta do more of The Big Push, Ren, Romain Axisa (the 'lead guitarist' here) and Gorran Kendall (the acoustic guitarist here). Lots of neat stuff to sink your teeth into :)

One of his best duet guitar performances in my opinion is I shot the sheriff - road to Zion - hip hop.

Ren also plays the piano. My favourite busking Big Push is I shot the sheriff, road to zion hi hop. The one with him wearing Red braces is the best.

I always enjoy your analyses. They are really informative. I love The Big Push! They are so much fun. I hope you do more. I'll agree with those who suggested Praise You, Swan Song, What Kind of Woman is This, and These Boots Are Made For Walking. Those are good choices in which you'll hear all three vocalists.

Great R&A, as always. Definitely a lot to unpack in this one!

What a treat! The big push together or individually, a pure wild musical joy. You might also like Chinchilla, who did chalk outlines and 'How to be me' with Ren, and who is a similar musical wild spirit. A classic starter is the live performance of Fingers on Hunger TV.

Wow! That was really interesting. I have been dying to hear more of your reactions to ren’s singing. Would love to watch you react to his song Back on 74/walking on the moon retake.👍

Ren played drums with this band at first, he does also obviously play guitar, bass, and then piano and even some cello

To add a little bit to you Ren knowledge base. Ren has said that in early busking days he would finish and his voice would be wiped out for a couple days after. and more recently he had some vocal lessons to alleviate that. I don't know where this session is in that progression. His philosophy on freeing the voice has always been there. Rambling here with no conclusions. Don't anyone give me grief if I have things wrong or timing off.

It's fun watching your reactions to them, because it's the opposite end of the scale of opera lol. Ren's "Back on 74/Message in a bottle" (live retake) would be fun to watch, but also anything The Big Push make is always immaculate vibes. When they busk they never perform any song the same, so every performance is unique.

One of my favorites by The Big Push. Enjoyed your reaction Peter. Please do Swan Song by TBP. It's beautiful. Man's world/Earned it with Sam Tompkins is my favorite busking video by Ren

I'm looking forward to watching you react to more of this band!!! The guys are Romain Axisa, playing lead guitar here, Gorran Kendall singing Feeling Good, Glenn Chambers on drums and, of course, Ren Gill on bass and singing. They all sing altho I've never heard Glenn do a lead. Romain put out a brand new song/vid today called The Radios Killed The Blues. It's fantastic!!! Please give it a listen!!!

...on Ren playing instruments... Baseball bat beating the beat on the floor in the original Money Game kzfaq.info/get/bejne/Zs-mhNqozL2Yf40.html , or a Cricket bat in All My Life (FooFighters Rap) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/o7yZlKyKnp7LhXU.html Base guitar: The Big Push - The Big Push - Wade in the water / Nina simone / Trouble so hard kzfaq.info/get/bejne/esh8aqmjy5zSen0.html Drum: The Big Push - Sweet Little Lady (Live Acoustic) kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bc1xhaaTlZeXk6s.html Electric Piano: For Joe kzfaq.info/get/bejne/m8iIaL2n17qaXaM.html and Mackay kzfaq.info/get/bejne/iqqiectqt9TUgWg.html Grand Piano: Money Game, Part 3 kzfaq.info/get/bejne/pN-HldifxLbGhJc.html&pp=ygUVcmVuIG1vbmV5IGdhbWUgcGFydCAz Melodica: The Big Push - Swan Song kzfaq.info/get/bejne/aKd2dJekq5ydnY0.html And some fan mentioned trumpet ... given that he plays trumpet just with his mouth in Jenny's Tale, that may be right, but I haven't heard him play a brass trumpet yet.

I'm pretty sure you will enjoy "What kind of woman is this"! Ren, Romain and Gorran are all singing and really well. A fun mashup of three songs.

Another really cool example of Ren using bass as a guitar/playing guitar-esque solos on bass, is Paint It Black with The Big Push! Really high energy & very cool performance

You should do i shot the sheriff and road to zion by the big push. But of everything in there.

What you describe as Ren pulling out of a note is him feeling the song I believe.

Another great reaction and analysis. "The Big Push" busking sessions, concerts, and live recordings all are amazing and well worth checking out. The members of "The Big Push" are all independent solo artists who struck up a friendship, moved in together, and formed the band. Ren Gill, Gorran Kendall, and Romain Axisa take turns singing lead vocals at times, except for the drummer Glen Chambers. However, each of the band members is currently focusing on a solo career due to Ren's absence. The band, at least for the time being, performed their last official busking session and gave their last concert in September 2022 due to the fact that Ren was leaving for Canada to undergo treatment for his multiple health issues. I believe they did record some songs yet to be released. No telling what the future holds for them, individually or as a group. Their covers of "I Shot The Sheriff/Road To Zion/Hip Hop," "Wade in the Water/Nina Simone/Trouble So Hard," "Watch Out," “War Pigs,” “Roadhouse Blues,” "My Generation," “Paint It Black,” "An Englishman in New York," “Bongo Bong,” and many others are all awesome. On “These boots are made for walking’/Satisfaction/Everybody,” “Praise You” (Fatboy Slim Cover), and “What Kind Of Woman Is This,” all three take a turn singing. Their original songs "Oh My Woman," “Swan Song,” “Sweet Little Lady," "It's Alright," “Dignity,” “Watch Out” and so many others are equally impressive. Gorran Kendall is a singer/songwriter/busker from the UK. He plays the bass, electric and acoustic guitar, the harmonica, and frequently sings lead for "The Big Push." As a solo artist, he is a folk singer, and his music is reminiscent of 60s folk. I love Gorran's music. Romain Axisa is a singer/songwriter/busker originally from Toulouse, France, where he started playing the guitar at age 12. At age 14, he was the singer in a rock band and later became a rapper. He plays guitar, bass, piano, and the ukulele (pineapple ukulele) featured in the song "Bongo Bong." In addition, Romain sings lead on a few "The Big Push" songs. His solo music is unique, and I don't know what genre it would be categorized as. I really enjoy his music as well. I would highly recommend watching/listening to their song "Dignity." Not only is it a beautiful song but the accompanying music video offers the audience an intimate view into their day-to-day on and off-stage interaction. It's almost like being there with them in their home, on the streets, and on stage. It is one of my favorite videos and has been very underappreciated and overlooked by most reactors and fans alike.

You want to hear Ren sing high notes? Check out Back on 74/Message in a Bottle retake. Great backup singers on that one, too.

Try the mash up of Nancy Sinatra 'These Boots Are Made For Walking' and Rolling Stones 'Satisfaction' in the laundromat. Brilliant.

Absolutely loved that analysis man - thanks for sharing your talents and experience!

When you mentioned Victor Wooten, leading up to that I was thinking "he better say Victor Wooten" 😄 I've seen him a few times in various size groups and venues. So incredibly talented. Respect.

Victor Wooten is a bass master, love him in the Flecktones. The Big Push has a beautiful variety of material, whether busking or on a roof top. The busking session with red suspenders is worth delving into, and anything else that is suggested in the comments.

Big shout out to Victor Wooten reference. Cheers!

You should check out The Big Push covering Bongo Bong by Manu Chao, great 3 part harmony

Hey Peter, great to see you doing a Ren reaction; always love to hear your insights into his music. My favorite TBP song is Precious because you really get to hear his beautiful singing voice. Maybe you can add it to your list? 💜💜

I love that you covered this one. It is the most popular Big Push song by the numbers, and it is pretty raw and improvisional. This makes me wish I were on that street back in the day. Regardless of their note inaccuracies, they convey a total abandoning of any self-consciousness, and turn to blissful emotion. Ren is a very strong bass player, and plays it quite a bit in this band. He switches lead guitar with Romain Axisa on occasions, too, but always gives Romain equal time, on those occasions. Great chemistry in this band.They parted ways on very amicable terms, in part, because of REN’s health issues.

The Big Push was super popular in Brighton, England! They have a video of their last concert "live at The Brighton Dome, Sept 9 2022

Would love you to react to The Big Push Who Shot the Sheriff/Road to Zion/Hip Hop (the one where Ren is wearing red suspenders.

Thanks so much for this thoughtful and enthusiastic response to Ren and The Big Push. It's great to see that you can truly enjoy singing that is primarily used as a vehicle for telling a story and making the story even Better by creating emotional waves. The story is heard and deeply felt, hooray hooray!!! I know you have not seen dozens of Ren's productions yet, but I am happy to say that each one you encounter will be surprisingly different. Ren uses every tool in his body plus a variety of musical instruments and his gifted creative imagination to successfully draw us into the story he wants to manifest for us. I truly love how many different vocalizations (including beat boxing!) that he gives us. Throughout the covid years until Ren left for treatment in Canada at the end of 2023, The Big Push was like a band of singing/song writing/busking brothers who spent very much time together creating music, so I do believe they accomplished some sort of mind meld. Together they manifested their unique take on both their original songs as well as covers of singers they enjoyed. You will have a wonderful, wonderful time finding songs in the catalog of The Big Push, as you are so right about the Talent each member of the band has in abundance. I think you'll enjoy the current catalogs of Gorran Kendall and Romain Axisa, as well as EVERYTHING REN!! Thanks again for your throughtful consideration of this performance. I have subscribed in hopes of seeing your reactions to more of Ren and of The Big Push as well! This video was Great!! 💜

Thanks Peter - your technical perspective plus your ability to appreciate the ad libs and freedom of expression is a great combination. It seems to me, while watching Ren's live performances (with/without TBP), the music just seems to overtake him from head to toe. It's a joy to witness. ☮

Saw Wooten play here in Key West last year. Turns out his lives 15 min aware from me in Tennessee! Heard someone say they would never hire Rwn as base because he plays like lead and the star quality too Big Push was very popular. 2017-2022 til Ren went to Canada for treatment. Ren just put out 8 Chapters telling the story of his 8 years of nightmare dealing with his illness. The last chapter leads inti the Big Push and these boys Romain Axisa on lead,Gorran Kendall on acoustic ( he usually plays the base) and Glenn Chambers on drums. I urge you to watch the Chapters on Renmakesstuff. No need to react. Just be witness for him. It is so worth it . The Chapters was lead up to his release last week Troubles. Gorran has a very rock song voice. He sounds like Bob Dylan and does the Rolling Stones covers. Thay all sing. My favorite us What Kind Of Woman Is This.

I love his ability to be free and creative…I would suggest Swan song and also Blind eyed the music crown version with Ren and Sam Tompkins

When talking up and down on a guitar you're really referring to the pitch of the note so up is towards the body of the instrument and down is towards the headstock. Also the higher strings or with notes that are up the scale are actually towards the bottom of the fret board. So on guitar up is down an down is up.

Love REN!! 💖 Thank you for analyzing. I love how raw he is.

Wowee wow wow! Your commentary on this video was so impressive that even I could follow along with it! I'm not trying to bash myself or anything, just stating that you were able to explain things in such a way that even someone without any music theory training can understand the points you made. I'm blown away that I "got it" and that it made my watching of it SO much more incredible. Thank you... will most definitely be back!

I loved your reaction. The band members like to play musical chairs with the different guitars. They are a phenomenal group. The 2nd singer, Gorran, also play harmonica. Lead guitarist, Romain, also plays the mandolin, I believe it is called. Ren is great at collaborating with other singers. A few really good ones are listed by other commenters.

Ren can play pretty much all. He said drums he's not great at but piano he's almost classical with no training. The Big Push all play, sing and write music. Romain Axisa, lead guitar is fire. Goran Kendle, acoustic guitar, is awesome. Like a John Denver style singer. Guy Chambers on drums works so well. Swan song for harmony and Bongo Bong, you should check out. Then, I shot the sheriff/Road to zion/ hip hop mash up is so good.

Yeah, "way UP on the neck"! (I got corrected myself, in my early years of playing guitar, when I used to call it "down" (down the fretboard--as I looked at it.) The other guitarist told me, "...no, no, no--it's UP, you're going HIGHER, up, up, up!"

Back on 74/message in a bottle!!! Great singing by Ren

Thanks for another great reaction! I love all of these little insights into what musicians are doing that I don't have the vocabulary for. If you're looking for other artists to react to, I'd recommend checking out Aurora. She's a musician from Norway who is very expressive in her live performances. There are lots of places to start with her, but here are a few options: -It Happened Quiet (live at the Current) -Runaway or Murder Song (live at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert) -Little Boy in the Grass (Mahogany Session) -Lucky (live at Nidarosdomen)

That's Goran singing second and on acoustic and Romain on electric guitar(who also sings beautifully)