An All Round SensationWednesday 30th September 2009
Hammersmith Apollo, London
It wouldn’t be hard to sound good following the supports on offer tonight. Will & The People: A catchy indie rock band with potential, providing they can learn to write one song that sounds different to the other. One Eskimo: the main support who everyone seemed keen to see. One Eskimo lasted one boring, uninspiring, nothing of note song for me then I was off to the bar.
I remember the first time I saw Paolo Nutini perform. It was on a breakfast show in Australia – Bert Newton I believe – and I was very taken with him. Not only because he was easy on the eye, but because of his hit at the time Jenny Don’t Be Hasty. The lyrics tell the tale of a young boy in love with an older woman and it does not go well. At the time it prompted me to think ‘If this guy can write such an eloquent heart-felt song at such a young age, imagine what he’ll be capable of when he’s older…’
With tunes ranging from blues to rock to country to pop and back again this kid can play. He is unassuming - spending most of his set hunched over clad in a beige corduroy jacket with his eyes closed - entertaining and unmissable. His erratic vocal stylings never seem out of place and his songful storytelling is superb. Couple that with a backing band that don’t fade into the limelight and take the music well up a notch and you have the musical formula that has made Mr Nutini the sensation he is today.
They were young, old, male and female and came for a good night out. What they got was great, and I thank Paolo for exposing a mainstream audience to some very worthy blues and country flavours within his pop lines.
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