Support comes in the shape of the very smartly dressed Charlie Winston and I am ashamed that I had absolutely no idea who he was until I googled his name after the gig. I take some solace from finding out that whilst Charlie has made quite a name for himself in Europe over here he is relatively unknown. It's an interesting mix of blues, folk, beat boxing and pop all rolled into an interesting performance. He has lovely natural voice and his tunes are catchy with the audience singing along and bobbing accordingly.
By the time Newton Faulkner comes on stage two women beside me are near hysterical, jumping up and down excitedly. At first I am worried he is going to do a Ray LaMontagne and not say a word to the audience but after a few strums he says hello and gets a great reception from the crowd. With Newton Faulkner it's really all about the finger work and use of the whole guitar, so it's a good job that a screen at the back of the stage shows close ups of his hands. Newton Faulkner's technical ability and creatively is enthralling to watch but so far I am having difficulty distinguishing one song from the next. All having a similar tempo and introspective lyrics tinged with bittersweet observations with an element of hope.
Faulkner explains that he is known for doing unorthodox cover versions in his set, as soon as he says that the audience start shouting out requests for him. He gives a couple of snippets of recent covers, You Spin Me Right Round originally by Dead or Alive, Blackstreets No Diggity before settling on Teardrops by Massive Attack. Faulkner has a searching voice and its interesting and captivating how he interprets and recreates the song.
When it gets to the time of playing his most recent single the crowd are singing along whole heartedly, you have to strain to make out Faulkner's voice as it has an earthy tone to it, which gets slightly lost in the combined efforts of the crowd. For most of his performance the crowd are singing along excitedly. Newton Faulkner's songs are very atmospheric with gloomy bass and wanting lyrics, at one point a women next to me starts crying and hugging her partner.
Constantly throughout his show the audience shout out to him, Newton is extremely quick and witty and jokes along, having a comic style somewhat reminiscent of Eddie Izzard. I find myself warming to him, he seems very humble and humorous. As an acoustic act it can be difficult to keep the audiences attention throughout and inject and element of showmanship. Faulkner manages to keep the audience fully participating throughout his set and at one point someone dressed as an alien comes on stage dancing providing comic relief. The addition of a cassette tape providing baking track was a brilliant touch, if not making me feel a little old and I am a sucker for the X factor style confetti which floated down in a multi coloured rain.
By the end of his set it's full on sing song mode, dividing the audience in half and getting them to sing along. Personally I find this sort of thing hideously embarrassing but I am obviously in the minority at this gig, as everyone else is having a go. The fans here are absolutely enthralled by Faulkner, when a couple of guys at the bar start to get rowdy and loud, unspoken and in unison several people turn around to tell them to be quiet.
Newton Faulkner's gig was perfect for anybody that wants to be an active part of the audience and likes the odd gimmick. His voice is lovely and earthy, suiting his style perfectly and I think at his best when he is really going for it. For me the best part was the eclectic range of covers, I think it can be genius when an artist or band puts a completely different meaning into an established song. Faulkner's version of Bohenmian Rhapsody is not far off and provided a brilliant ending to a great gig.
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