Lewis Capaldi Concert Review
I won't lie, the first time I heard a Lewis Capaldi song, I thought it was James Arthur trying to make an emotional, melodic comeback to his musical career. Something about their two voices is extremely similar; perhaps it's the husky, animated tone or the downbeat, lamentable songs that hit you right in the feels, but alas, I discovered that Lewis Capaldi was in fact a completely different singer, making a name for himself in the music-sphere.
It didn't take very long for me to become obsessed with Lewis Capaldi's music; I was very soon listening to his album any chance I could get and spending my time driving my car screeching my lungs off to every single depressing ballad and probably making the birds on the outside stop in their tracks and wonder if one of their friends was being murdered. You'd think I'd be ashamed by that but lets face it, if you don't spend your lonesome car journeys singing sad songs at the top of your lungs and pretending you're headlining your own concert, then we all know you're telling porkies.
I was introduced to his music thanks to the impeccable music taste of my boyfriend (note the hint of sarcasm... some of the absolute rubbish he listens to...), so I thought that for Christmas, I would take him to see Lewis Capaldi so we could experience seeing him live together, just as we had experienced many car journeys together attempting (and subsequently failing) to harmonise to Someone You Loved. I'm spending 6 months living in Paris as part of my year abroad (in case you didn't know) and so I actually bought the tickets for his Paris Show, as I thought it would be a fun and interesting experience watching him in a city foreign to his own and our own.
Once we arrived at the L'Olympia concert hall, we immediately noticed the herd of British people that surrounded us, which transported us back to London - especially the part where two middle aged ladies got into a much too melodramatic quarrel about personal space... yes, we were back home. The support act, Fatherson, were a great band to warm up the crowd, with zingy guitar, toe-tapping drum beats and a Lewis Capaldi hybrid front man singer. We have to give it to them, they put on a teriffic show, and it was genuinley heart-warming to see an up-and-coming Scottish band supporting Lewis Capaldi. So many scotsmen in one room... it was pretty damn fun.
When the lights went down and Lewis Capaldi's set began, his voice was booming through the speakers on a pre-recorded, upbeat intro to reassure us we were in for a good night. Many expletives were used, but without swearing, Lewis Capaldi's humour is limited to self-deprication and awkward fumbling over his words. Absolute comedy gold. I loved every single moment of it.
He started off with Grace, an absolute tune that allows you to screech along with him, but the percussion was cranked up a few notches so you could actually do a little bit of dancing as well. One thing I noticed throughout his entire set was the upbeat nature he gave to many of his songs, which was surprising, giving the entire album's sombre nature. It was an incredibly commendable way to ensure the concert wasn't just slow, down-tempo, sad ballads the entire night because, as much as I adore an emotional ballad, when you're standing for hours at a concert, you want to be able to be able to bust a little move here and there, so you don't turn into a gormless zombie bawling your eyes out at countless slow songs. That wouldn't be a great concert at all.
Interacting with the audience in between songs, Capaldi was a brilliant entertainer, accepting gifts from fans (one couple gave him a stuffed-toy anaconda that he didn't quite know what to do with) and attemptng to speak a little French, which had the audience in fits of laughter. "Je suis très gros" was the level of sophistication we're talking about here. It was clear most of the audience were Brits abroad, but there were a few French people around us and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the vibe, despite not having the foggiest about what he was actually saying. Even I find Scottish accents a nightmare to understand sometimes! His voice was phenomenal; he sounds exactly as he does on his record, with an abrasive-yet-soft, husky-yet-songbird-like tone that does nothing but captivate you as you listen, mesmerised by this dude's insane talent and impeccable songwriting ability.
He closed the set with Someone You Loved (classic), which, despite having heard it overplayed on the radio far too many times, it was such a surreal experience watching him perform it live - his raw emotion exposed and the entire crowd singing along, raising the roof off the place. It was genuinley powerful to have an entire crowd singing such profound lyrics, and you could see the appreciation and disbelief on Capaldi's face, reminding us of his humbleness and gratefulness.
If possible, I love Lewis Capaldi that little bit more after having seen him live. 10/10 would see him again.
When the lights went down and Lewis Capaldi's set began, his voice was booming through the speakers on a pre-recorded, upbeat intro to reassure us we were in for a good night. Many expletives were used, but without swearing, Lewis Capaldi's humour is limited to self-deprication and awkward fumbling over his words. Absolute comedy gold. I loved every single moment of it.
He started off with Grace, an absolute tune that allows you to screech along with him, but the percussion was cranked up a few notches so you could actually do a little bit of dancing as well. One thing I noticed throughout his entire set was the upbeat nature he gave to many of his songs, which was surprising, giving the entire album's sombre nature. It was an incredibly commendable way to ensure the concert wasn't just slow, down-tempo, sad ballads the entire night because, as much as I adore an emotional ballad, when you're standing for hours at a concert, you want to be able to be able to bust a little move here and there, so you don't turn into a gormless zombie bawling your eyes out at countless slow songs. That wouldn't be a great concert at all.
Interacting with the audience in between songs, Capaldi was a brilliant entertainer, accepting gifts from fans (one couple gave him a stuffed-toy anaconda that he didn't quite know what to do with) and attemptng to speak a little French, which had the audience in fits of laughter. "Je suis très gros" was the level of sophistication we're talking about here. It was clear most of the audience were Brits abroad, but there were a few French people around us and they seemed to thoroughly enjoy the vibe, despite not having the foggiest about what he was actually saying. Even I find Scottish accents a nightmare to understand sometimes! His voice was phenomenal; he sounds exactly as he does on his record, with an abrasive-yet-soft, husky-yet-songbird-like tone that does nothing but captivate you as you listen, mesmerised by this dude's insane talent and impeccable songwriting ability.
He closed the set with Someone You Loved (classic), which, despite having heard it overplayed on the radio far too many times, it was such a surreal experience watching him perform it live - his raw emotion exposed and the entire crowd singing along, raising the roof off the place. It was genuinley powerful to have an entire crowd singing such profound lyrics, and you could see the appreciation and disbelief on Capaldi's face, reminding us of his humbleness and gratefulness.
If possible, I love Lewis Capaldi that little bit more after having seen him live. 10/10 would see him again.
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