Richard Hawley

15th October 2019

Glasgow Barrowlands

There are probably few artistes more difficult to categorise, or pigeon-hole if you will, than Richard Hawley.  As evidence for my assertion I present Richard's set this evening which ran through a bewildering gamut of musical styles.

The opening three songs came from his new album Further.  And, (if one could tune out the vocals) with Off My Mind and Alone, we could easily have been listening to T. Rex and Slade respectively, in their pomp.

I cannot imagine any other musician who could segue from the doom-leaden Standing at the Sky's Edge, into the light-hearted bluegrass influenced Looking for Someone To Find Me, and make the step appear both effortless and seamless.

When I had seen Richard at the Barrowlands in 2015, his rendition of Open Up Your Door had stolen the show, but this time around Coles Corner took the prize: Richard's deep baritone aided and abetted by some beautifully restrained harmonica work by Clive Mellor.

There was no such restraint from Clive during the bluesy bombast of Time Is, and I could imagine the spirit of Sonny Boy Williamson (if I believed in such things) experiencing a pleasingly warm glow listening to this one. 

The set did seem to sort of dip towards the end though.  But that perhaps was more down to my personal tastes than anything else.  The psychedelic interlude in the middle of Down in the Woods did appear to drag just a touch, before RH chose to close his main set with the odd choice of Is There a Pill? - by some distance, IMO, the weakest cut on the new album.

For the encores, we first got There's a Storm Comin' - one of Richard's less successful “Easy Listening” jobs, I have always felt.  Lady Solitude or Born Under a Bad Sign would have been a better fit here.

But Heart of Oak (rather surprisingly, the only tune from his previous album Hollow Meadows to be retained in the set) made for a grand grande finale to the evening.

A less satisfying aspect to the evening though, was the fact there were no T shirts left.  Running out of stuff at the Merch Stall before the tour ends!!  Someone needs their arse booted, Richard.

Richard Hawley - Glasgow 2019

Dean Beresford

Shez Sheridan and Clive Mellor

Richard in pensive mood.

Richard Hawley - Glasgow 2019

Set list

Off My Mind
Alone
Further
Standing at the Sky's Edge
I'm Looking For someone to Find Me
Emilina Says
Tonight The Streets Are Hours
Doors
Coles Corner
Midnight Train
Galley Girl
Not Lonely
Time Is
Don't Stare at The Sun
Open Up Your Door
Down in the Woods
Is There a Pill?

Encore
There's a Storm Comin'
Heart of Oak