I did a thing… I went to a gig that I would not normally give a second look but, as I am trying to expand my mind, I have started looking at what gigs are in my home town and then checking them out on Spotify [The exact point of our Breaking Boundaries section, where you’ll find this review! – Mosh]. If I like a song or two, I take a chance and go to the gig… who knows what I might find? So, I went to see Amy Macdonald at The Halls in Wolverhampton. As a rock fan, this is not my normal vibe – but here I am. Walking into the venue, I definitely felt a bit out of place among the long-time fans, but the atmosphere was great so it didn’t matter at all.
Before Amy came on, the night kicked off with Better Joy. I hadn’t heard of them before, but they had this indie/alt edge that hooked the crowd from the off. Really good vocals and sound, and just the right amount of energy to get the room going without overpowering anything, which was a good thing considering it was a seated show (I detest seated shows). By the end of their set, I was already making a mental note to look them up later. A genuinely solid opener.
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Amy MacDonald started strong with “Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?”, the perfect warm-up. But the moment that really got me was “Mr. Rock & Roll”. I’d listened to it a few times before the show, but live, it was fantastic. There is a really strange step change in the chorus of this song that I love. The crowd lit up, and even though I was still new to her music, I found myself singing along like I’d known it for years.
Amy had a great stage presence and clearly likes to create a relaxed atmosphere, telling stories in between songs and talking about her beloved Scotland football team making it to the World Cup… even though she would miss it due to booking in another tour at the same time. The set moved through “Dream On”, “The Hudson”, “Spark”, and “Pride”. Although I had only heard a few songs, they sounded better live, more unique and clearly she wasn’t trying to sound exactly like the recorded version. This is something I have always enjoyed about bands like Pink Floyd; I like to think that an artist is trying to give something unique when they change the song up a little.
The mid-set run of “Slow It Down”, “Poison Prince”, and “Can You Hear Me?” kept the energy going while the whole room was singing together. And “This Is the Life” – of course – was huge. Even as a newly converted fan, that one was already stuck in my head, but hearing the whole crowd sing it back was a nice moment. For someone who walked in thinking I am not really sure what to expect, I walked out feeling like I had discovered something new to enjoy which is sometimes the beauty of stepping out of your comfort zone. Live music at its best, you can’t beat it!
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Photos by SRK Lens
