If it’s possible to have a
relaxed excitement, I’d probably have to say that that’s exactly how tonight’s
show felt. Tonight’s support, Charlie
Winston, plays an array of well crafted tunes and while they’re not
necessarily very original, they are well written and give the crowd a good
taster and prime them just right for Mr. Faulkner.
It’s been a couple of
summers now since Newton Faulkner first
came into our mainstream and he’s been quietly knocking around ever since.
Taking the term one-man-band to a whole new conception, he utilises modern
technology as his personal back mounted kick drum. His finger-work and
musicianship is not exactly that which you’d usually expect from a solo guitar
playing singer song-writer, his guitar doubling up as percussion instrument as
well as accompaniment visual computerised additions, sampling units and an
organ he can play with his feet show that this one-man-band is a far cry from
the ones you’ve seen marching around in lederhosen at your local carnival.
However, it is not just his
keen eye for placement and musicianship that endears you to him, he has an
everyman quality and a wacky sense of humour that somehow makes you want to
support him as he muddles through his set. After all, you have to admire any
performer that is actually keen to break down the illusions of his live shows
and expose them for all his audience to see, some may call this showing off but
he just seems so genuinely excited about how he has created it all and he wants
you to know how it’s done. Whether it be the camera streaming the footage of
his feet or the projection samples of himself playing a melodica or even, as he
calls it, a Disney-style sing-along to one of his tunes keep you engrossed even
when he is not playing one of his bigger hits.
When it eventually does come
to his hits, the rooms comes alive; his cover of Massive Attack’s Teardrop
was always going to go down well bigger hits such as Catch Me and Gone In The
Morning are given that anthem feel by the crowd even when asked to sing it
like pirates with rabies. Newton
Faulkner is quite simply a really great night out whether you’re stood at
the front dancing or sat on the balcony, and that is a rare thing.
