Photo: WENN
Richard Hawley brings his stunning back-catalogue to London's Roundhouse with fierce musicianship, youthful energy and charm.
Much of the material for the evening is pulled from 2012's Standing at the Sky's Edge and new LP 'Hollow Meadows'. Hawley's sonic exploration in these recent works pumps a new found energy into his live show, balancing out the set list and making those vintage tinted songs a lot more enjoyable with variety.
Arriving on stage in double denim, Hawley and his troupe pull the audience into the descending chords of newbie 'Which Way', a fierce opener which is quickly trumped by the soaring 'Tonight the Streets Are Ours'. The group are tight, grandiose and crystal clear with Hawley's deep baritone settling snugly within the instrumentation.
Most effective of all is the psychedelic slow- jam of 'Standing at the Sky's Edge', a beast in the live setting, which features a hypnotic tribal percussion breakdown mid-way through where lines such as "sliding down the razor's edge" appear more intense than ever before.
Gentler moments are still present in the new songs, the gorgeous 'Tuesday PM' - which Hawley describes as "one of the most depressing songs I've ever written" - is made even more fragile by the presence of a violinist. Before jumping into 'Heart of Oak', Hawley commands a minute's silence for Remembrance Sunday, plunging the Roundhouse into pin-drop pricked nothingness.
Hawley is also on top form in his in between-song banter, speaking highly of his native Sheffield, "Have you heard Sheffield's been twinned with Las Vegas? It's the only two places where you can pay for sex and chips."
Hawley brings a selection of older and breakthrough hits for his encore, namely 'Coles Corner' and 'The Ocean' with an ode to his daughter fit in between: "This one's about my little girl who's 22 tomorrow," Hawley explains before guiding the group through a beautiful rendition of 'What Love Means'. The churning epic of 'The Ocean' closes the show, building to that crashing crescendo of "here comes the wave" as the instruments spiral to cinematic status - an impressive finale.
Hawley has impressively expanded his back-catalogue in recent years. His '60s crooner balladry , which on its own could grow fairly tiresome, is now accompanied with snarling rock songs with a psychedelic tinge. This cocktail paves the way for an intoxicating live show, with his Northern charm and romantic songwriting still intact.
