Without pomp, gimmick or ego, Paul Carrack demonstrated why he is regarded as one of Britain’s greatest singer/songwriters in a performance that had an eager audience on their feet begging for more.
St David’s Hall lent itself perfectly to an intimate gig, with the tone being perfectly set by young warm-up duo, Tinlin, brothers Alex and Rolf.
Dressed in the customary black and with his familiar hat firmly in place, the curiosity for me was how this set list would evolve, with such an enormous back catalogue to choose from.
Another Cup of Coffee, from the Mike and the Mechanics Years was followed by a new song Long Way From Home, from a current EP, and then his rich, soulful voice gave full vent to a varied selection of greats which included Tempted, from his Squeeze years to How Long, the first song he ever penned with Ace through to Eyes of Blue and back to the Mike and the Mechanics years with the melancholic Living Years.
His tight, six piece backing band of guitar, bass, sax, keyboard and two sets of drums allowed him to veer effortlessy from acoustic guitar to keyboard throughout the night, he even found time to give a nod to friend, Andy Fairweather Low,on hand to give a performance of the old Amen Corner classic Half as Nice (Paradise).
The two-hour set ended with Over My Shoulder (audience included obviously) and a mutual appreciation from singer, band and fans that we had all been part of something special. A gig to remember.
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