WORDS AND IMAGES DESH KAPUR
Tonight I had a very special evening at a hidden gem of a venue in Bethesda, North Wales called Neuadd Ogwen. It was my first time there, and I can guarantee it won’t be my last. The venue is great, brilliantly set up, small, and intimate. I love venues like this. The reason I was there was to see Sheffield’s own Richard Hawley, who is a true legend. He was the creative force behind the very underrated Longpigs and has released nine studio albums over the last twenty years, with two being nominated for the Mercury Music Prize. He is also a Brit nominee and received a South Bank Award in 2007. In 2023, he received 2 Olivier Awards for Best Musical and Best Music for his Musical Standing At The Sky’s Edge, which was staged at The National Theatre and The Crucible in Sheffield. He has duetted with Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra, and Shirley Bassey, and played with (amongst many more) Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers, and Pulp, the band he played guitar with for many years. I was thrilled to see him up close and personal.
The support for the evening was Zac Lawerence, the frontman and songwriter for one of my favourite new bands, Deadletter. It was a side of his musical personality I hadn’t seen before, just him, his guitar, and even a harmonica, and it was captivating.With a nod to the likes of Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen every person in the now full venue was spellbound from the first note to the last as Zac sang about his take on the country and world we live in. He was funny and personable and connected with the people in front of him. What a great surprise and what a great set.
Then it was time for Richard Hawley, walking on stage looking every bit the ’50s Rockabilly, with black boots, turned-up jeans, a blue jacket, and a cracking quiff. After saying his hello, trying a bit of Welsh speaking, and explaining that they were going to be playing a lot of the new record tonight “In This City They Call You Love’ because they need to know how to play them, he launched straight into ‘She Brings The Sunshine’, and you instantly knew why this man is such a special talent and a hero to people like Alex Turner.
The whole set was a brilliant mixture of rockabilly and moody 50’s ballads, and the crowd was in their element. ‘Two For Heels’, ‘Prism In Jeans’, and ‘Open Up Your Doors’ came and went, with Richard taking time between songs to interact with the audience, and the crowd loved it. It was like hanging with an old friend. Performing fan-favorites ‘Tonight The Streets Are Ours’ and ‘Coles Corner’ really brought the house down and showcased what an amazing guitar player Hawley is. The raw and heartfelt lyrics and slow tempo created something special and beautiful. Tonight was an amazing night of music in a very cool venue.
SET LIST
1/ SHE BRINGS THE SUNSHINE
2/ TWO FOR HIS HEELS
3/ PRISM IN JEANS
4/ OPEN UP YOUR DOOR
5/ STANDING AT THE SKY’S EDGE
6/ DEEP SPACE
7/ JUST LIKE RAIN
8/ HEAR THE LONSEOME WHISTLE BLOW
9/ TONIGHT THE STREET ARE OURS
10/ ALONE
11/ COLES CORNER
12/ HEAVY RAIN
13/ DONT STAR AT THE SUN
14/ IS THERE A PILL
15/ HEART OF OAK
ENCORE
16/ PEOPLE
17/ THE OCEAN
FOLLOW RICHARD HAWLEY
FOLLOW ZAC LAWERENCE
My life is a soundtrack, i track my life through music, photography is my passion, my escape, my expression. Without both i have pieces missing, thankfully i’m blessed and get to combine both.
Born in Manchester, lived in Australia for 22 years where i was heavily involved in the Australian Music Industry, firstly in bands (Singer) and then managing bands (all original), I moved back to the UK, Wales specifically 10 years ago
