Richard Hawley finding solo success
Singer-songwriter Richard Hawley's rise from indie music bit part player to solo star in his own right continued with a superb performance at Birmingham Town Hall last night.
Richard Hawley
Birmingham Town Hall
By Chris Leggett
The Sheffield performer, once a guitarist in minor Britpop act Longpigs and then the latter line-up of Pulp, has carved out a new niche as an acclaimed troubadour in his own right.
Bequiffed Hawley's albums of melodic pop harking back to the American classics of the 1950s have proved a crossover hit with alternative music fans and older fans of classic rock'n'roll, as the cross section of ages in the Brum audience showed.
Dressed in a sharp grey suit which could have been inherited from Buddy Holly, Hawley proved a muscular yet tender performer.
All eight tracks from his sixth and most recent album Truelove's Gutter, were given an airing and proved even darker live than on the record.
The highlights included rousing opener As the Dawn Breaks, the memorable Open Up the Door and a thunderous Soldier On.
Hawley was backed by five musicians who showed adeptness with a range of instruments including the musical saw.
Only a small sample of his back catalogue was performed, with Tonight and Hotel Room from the 2006 Mercury Prize nominated album Coles Corner getting the best response.
But the high quality of the new material, among the finest of his collections to date, plus the excellent performance by the band meant fans could not help but be enthralled.
The dry witted singer enjoyed a warm rapport with the audience, who he said were not only the best on his UK tour to date but among the finest of his career.
The crowd were rewarded with a three song encore, finishing with fans favourite The Ocean, which was given a spontaneous standing ovation.
