Richard Hawley

+ Kate Walsh

City Halls, Glasgow - 16 Sep 2007

by Charlotte Otter

Kate Walsh proves that turning up early can pay off, leaving an amiable Hawley to top off a perfect night in Glasgow

"Since having been nominated for that Mercury, Hawley has become a lot less belligerent, his gruff, grumpy manner of previous performances replaced by a more relaxed attitude"

Sometimes it pays to be early to gigs. In our enthusiasm to catch Richard Hawley’s performance at Glasgow’s City Halls, we arrive an hour and a half early, making us one of the privileged few to catch the support act, Kate Walsh, much to our ensuing delight.

Walsh’s set is superb. The Essex-based singer/songwriter has that rare ability to hold an audience captive and enthralled in the spell of her music by the power of her voice alone. High, clear and packed with emotion, it is the kind of voice that makes you do a double take when you first hear it, forcing you to sit down and drink in its ethereal beauty. Seriously, it’s that good. Her songs are equally stunning; slow, wistful ballads are picked out on her acoustic guitar, enhancing, rather than drowning her fragile vocals.

After a short interval (normally the City Halls put on classical music concerts) Richard Hawley strolls on stage to deafening applause and opens with the immortal words, “Let's ballad." Lush, multi-layered melodies about Hawley’s home town, Sheffield are what the evening is all about, with his deep, rich and fruity vocals resonating around the venue.

Since having been nominated for that Mercury, Hawley has become a lot less belligerent, his gruff, grumpy manner of previous performances replaced by a more relaxed attitude and he takes his time to crack jokes with the crowd and explain the background to some of his earlier songs.

It makes for a fantastic evening, full of sepia tinged tunes reminiscent of a long gone age. As the night closes with ‘The Ocean’, a song written for Hawley’s wife, it is hard not to feel your heart rise to your throat. Walsh and Hawley - as good a night as you could hope to have.

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