Review By Darren McIntyre Photos By Scott Anderson
Richard Willis Hawley is a singer / songwriter / guitarist / producer from Pitsmoor, Sheffield, England who began his musical journey with Treebound Story whilst still at school. Richard was a real fireball and jumped straight into Britpop outfit Longpigs until their demise in 2000 and then he took up with his buddy Jarvic Cocker in Brits outfit Pulp. Richard is well known for his solo work and to date has released 8 studio albums, been nominated for a Mercury Prize & a Brit Award, he has collaborated with the likes of Lisa Marie Presley, Shakespear’s Sister, Arctic Monkeys, Manic Street Preachers, Elbow, Duane Eddy & Paul Weller. Richard has just released his latest body of work In This City They Call You Love, to support this new offering Richard is out on tour and tonight he stops off at the world famous Barrowlands to bring us a night of Britpop mania mixed with some classics to really get the juices flowing, as the house PA fades Richard and band take to the stage and they launch into
She Brings The Sunlight – The place brings the noise as the boys assemble on stage and an eerie tone decends upon The Barras as the band drops the hammer and brings a cool grungy guitar eiff that is getting the place moving. The rhythm section is bringing the groove with a snare drum beat that allows Richard to unleash his dark brooding vocals that just set the tone for tonight’s show. The boys are buzzing from the looks on their faces as they look out and see the adoring Glasgow crowd enjoying every second of this iconic musician as he steps forward and delivers a slick, clean melodic solo that really brings the place to it’s feet, up next is the classic
Two For His Heels – Richard calls out where the fuck didi you lot come from before he strums on his guitar and lets his soulful mellow vocals take this track down the road. The sweet soothing snare drum taps let the rhythm section bring the groove as the boys settle into their motion as this cool arrangement wanders freely through The Barrowlands tonight, the place is just glowing as this charismatic journeyman brings a host of new tracks and a smattering of old favourites. The full on bassline is wrapping itself around this classic briptpop rocker that just gets this crowd all warm and fuzzy, up next
Prism In Jeans – Acoustic mellow strumming chords let this smooth toe tapping track bring us a warm endearing track that showcases the versatility of this fantastic artist. The snare drum brushes really deliver a soulful beat that lets this crowd feel the cool groove flow freely through this iconic venue tonight, the place is swaying from side to side as we take in another new track from his recently released album. The tone is a delicious mix of slick, clean guitar picks and well balanced acoustic tones that instantly put us at ease as we watch this smooth operator do his thing, coming up is
Open Up Your Door – Richard lets this track unfold as he steps up to the mic and lets his oozing bluesy vocals take this track down the road. The addition of mellow keys really lets this track breathe before the intro of dark, moody guitar picks that just settle us into this crowd favourite that is peeling back the layers as it takes us off to somewhere new. The place is silent as we are fixed on the brightly lit stage that is setting the scene as we feel the soulful vocals wrap themselves around us as this toe tapping mellow affair brings us awesome guitar licks that are just mesmerising as Richard plays to the crowd as we roll straight into
Standing At The Sky’s Edge – A deep bass kick lets this track come to life as crisp guitar picks are filling the air as the boys ready us for this dark, melodic blues tinged offering. The cool smooth vocals just elevate this fantastic arrangement to the next level as we are just letting this musician take to another place with his ditty that just stops us in our tracks, the boys are in fine form as they come together and really let the fusion pour from this hallowed stage tonight. The crisp guitar licks are filling every corner of this fine old building as we are fixed on the stage as Richard is bringing the groove to Glasgow tonight, we catch our breathe for a second and just let this incredible musician let rip with a shredding blues filled solo that is on the money, we stroll into
Deep Space – A heavy ended bass kick lets this rocking beast come to life as Richard steps up and unleashes his powering dark brooding vocals upon us tonight. The rhythm section erupts into life with a real punchy snare drum kick that has cymbal snaps that just wrap themselves around this foot stomping rock n roll classic, the bassline is dropping sweet, deep funking tones all through this classy arrangement. The track is a real thought provoking number as we feel the energy oozing from the boys tonight, this has been a real cool night of cracking tunes, banter and well thought out tunes that really entertain us tonight, next up
Just Like Rain – A cool fast paced strumming chord oozes from the stage as this toe tapping number comes at us as Richard lets his towering vocals take this track skywards. The boys are working well as they combine ina bring us mellow bassline grooves that dance effortlessly on the hallowed Barras stage tonight, we are getting a real mix of songs tonight that really put you at ease as the soulful mellow vocals work their magic tonight. The songs are short, sharp and really grab your attention with their well worked lyrics that instantly take you off to another place for sure, we clap loudly and just feel the energy oozing from the stage as we stroll into
Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow – Cool acoustic strumming chords come at us as Richard lets his towering mellow vocals bring this track to life. We are feeling the depth of this artist as he tells a story through the music as we sway along to this thought provoking number as the lyrics wrap themselves around us and really take us to another place, this is a real cool number that just lets us take our gal onto the dancefloor and let her feel the breeze flow freely as we swirl around the floor and let this delicious tone give us a real sense of belonging, next up
Tonight The Streets Are Ours – Richard stands at the mic and chats with us as this uptempo toe tapping track bursts into life and brings us smooth crisp acoustic strumming chords that are just awesome. Richard offloads with melodic, smooth vocals that just tell their own story as the bassline drops epic funk tones that let this track breathe. The rhythm section is bringing the beat as snare drum punches fill the air as the bass kicks let the beat flo freely through Glasgow tonight, the boys are looking relaxed and they are really enjoying themselves as their smiles give it away. This is one of those toe tapping tracks that lets us flow off and just feel the tepo wrap itself around us tonight, next up
Alone – Sweet grooving chords echo from the stage as this punchy groover lets us get all funky and ready to dance the night away as this cool number unfolds. The snare drum punches fill the air as the rhythm section gets the tone on track as a deep full on bassline drops killer grooves that allow this track to tell it’s own story, soulful blues soaked vocals are dripping from the stage and really give us shivers as this seasoned professional takes us through our paces with these phenomenal tracks that just let us wander right back to the noughties with ease, next up is
Leave You Baby – The gig is getting hot and sweaty as Richard steps up to the mic and lets his awesome vocals do the talking tonight. The punchy rhythm section is bringing sweet snare drum punches that are followed by bass kicks and cool cymbal snaps that really elevate this grooving beast, the bassline is handing us cool funk laden grooves that are dark, mellow and really drive this guitar laden track onwards. The tempo changes direction and lets Richard deliver soothing blyes tones vocals that suddenly brings a sweet crisp solo that catches us off guard as the boys just dig deep and bring this sizzling groover to our attention , we are hurtling through this heavy ended setlist that has brought us lots of new tracks as well as the old favourites before we stroll into
Heavy Rain – The boys tune up and let the soulful groove take us down the road with snare drum taps that let the beat wash over us as this thought provoking number grabs our attention. The sweet crisp guitar picks are allowing this dark number to build and really deliver crisp beats that let this crowd feel the intensity pouring into the venue tonight, we are being taken through the ages with this charismatic mix of depth from this master musician as he lets the boys drop in with sweet deep basslines that are just incredible as the keys wrap themselves around this real melodic toe tapping piece, up next
Don’t Stare At The Sun – Richard steps up to the mic and lets this moody, dark melodic number unfold as the boys work with him to deliver cool strumming chords that just wrap themselves around us. The rhythm section is hitting us with sweet cool snare drum beats as the cymbal snaps really give this track a cool edgy feel, we are mesmerised by the quality of the musicianship on show tonight as Richard has assembled a stellar cast of musicians that are just taking us through our paces. This is a real cool affair that lets us lose ourselves in these awesome lyrics that reall give us a sense of belonging, as we race through the setlist Richard thanks us for coming out to spend the night with an ageing rocker which brings a huge cheer from this sold out crowd, we roll into
Is There A Pill – Richard steps up and thanks us for coming out and introduces this fine array of talent before we stroll into this toe tapping number that just lifts the crowd. The soulful vocals are just putting us at ease as the rhythm section brings snare drum beats that follow on with cool cymbal snaps that just give this track a real edgy groove. The boys are giving it their all tonight as we are feeling the funk element wander freely through The Barras tonight as we are nearing the end of this classic Britpop groove laden gig as the place bellows out with a real roaring holler that lets Richard stand and feel the energy oozing from us tonight, up next
Heart Of Oak – A gritty guitar riff pours from the stage as this toe tapping groover comes to life as Richard lends his soulful vocals that let this punchy number come at us as we get all groovy and funky. The snare drum punches are filling the air as the boys bring the groove to us with a full on bassline that is handing us delicious tones that let this grooving riff laden track tell it’s own story, we are swaying along to this crisp guitar driven beast as the boys really open up and let this sweet number wrap itself around us tonight, we are nearing the end of this awesome night as we roll into
Poeple – Richard explains this new song and tells us that this is the quietest song that he has ever written which draws a huge cheer from this sold out crowd, he says if we xhat all the way through it that would be fucking brilliant. The soulful smooth vocals are just bringing a hush all through The Barras tonight as we feel the depth of this incredible musician as he shows his talent through these lyrics that just let this brooding number tell it’s own story, the track is a real smooth arrangement that just feels awesome as we get the very best of this Sheffield born musician, coming next
I’m Looking For Someone To Find Me – The pace picks up as we get a fast and furious strumming chord from the boys as this toe tapping number hurtles towards us. The full on bassline is dropping in and really letting the groove wash over us as the boys are finishing on a flurry of funk, groove and sweet crisp licks that just give this track depth, swagger and real tone. The vocals are just soothing with real grit and soul that is a real perfect way to end this incredible night of crackin tones and cheeky stories that lead us onto tonight’s final ditty
The Ocean – The boys gather around and let this soothing, dark, melodic number take us to another place as Richard lets his colossal vocals lead the way. Snare drum punches combine with cymbal snaps as this real cool affair does it’s thing and bring us a smooth thought provoking number that really does what it says on the tin, we are getting awesome dark basslines that are just incredible as they guide this incredible track through the heart of Glasgow tonight. The place is silent as the boys deliver a real classic number that has all the ingredients of a track that will stick with us forever as the sweet soothing tones just wrap themselves around this swelling crowd tonight as the place just feel incredible, what a show that just exceeded all our expectations.
Richard Hawley –
Richard Hawley – Vocals / Guitar
Shez Sheridan – Lead Guitar
Brian Day – Guitar
Colin Elliott – Bass
Johnny Trear – Keys
Dean Beresford – Drums
Setlist –
She Brings The Sunlight
Two For The Heels
Prism In Jeans
Open Up Your Door
Standing At The Sky’s Edge
Deep Space
Just Like The Rain
Hear That Lonesome Whistle Blow
Tonight The Streets Are Ours
Alone
Leave Your Body Behind
Heavy Rain
Don’t Stare At The Sun
Is There A Pill
Heart Of Oak
People
I’m Looking For Someone To Find Me
The Ocean
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