“No standing up. No dancing. No smiling – we’re from the North.” opens Richard Hawley, after taking the stage at Hammersmith Apollo on Tuesday night. “Although I wouldn’t mind seeing some jiving down the front.”
There aren’t many more pleasant ways to spend a Tuesday evening. Hawley moves between disarming audience interaction and a steady flow of beautifully crooned odes to love and loss, with complete ease. Interspersing tracks from new album Hollow Meadows with old favourites like ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’, it’s a set list that captivates the seated audience. Sometimes it takes being sat down and really focusing on a live act to truly appreciate its quality. Where many wring a solo out of a guitar, Hawley delicately and effortlessly dances across the fretboard. It’s fantastic to watch; musicianship at it’s finest.
It’s a show devoid of any posturing or pretension, of anything unnecessary. Like the music itself, it’s tender. It’s a shared experience. After closing the show with crowd pleaser ‘The Ocean’, he bids us a fond farewell – “Safe journey back. Text me when you’re home, so I don’t have to worry.”
Richard Hawley played:
Richard Hawley played:
- Which Way
- Tonight The Streets Are Ours
- Standing At The Sky’s Edge
- I Still Want You
- Leave Your Body Behind You
- Sometimes I Feel
- Open Up Your Door
- Tuesday PM
- Time Will Bring You Winter
- Down In The Woods
- Don’t Stare At The Sun
- Heart Of Oak
- There’s A Storm Comin’
Encore:
- Coles Corner
- What Love Means
- The Ocean
Joe Presley
reposted courtesy of www.joepresley.com