The Old Fire Station, Bournemouth
I had only briefly heard of Scott Matthew previous to seeing him, knowing what I would say is he most popular song, ‘Elusive’, so was waiting to see what he could offer me. And my conclusion? Pretty Damn Good! The stage was set perfectly for the music with dim lighting, an inscence stick burning and a feather lamp in the corner. There was a real relaxed and almost dream- like feel to the room, it was surreal to be so chilled out in anywhere other than your bedroom. As he humbly approached the stage and sat down, the audience simply floated away.
A personal favourite was ‘Passing Stranger’, a song where in which he has captured the feeling of a summer time of drinking in the sun and live music and made it into a song. Another I really enjoyed was, “Eyes Wider Than Before”. It has a slight,’ Jose Gonzalez’ feel, with some of the most beautiful lyrics I’ve ever heard.
‘Gonna drive you away from the trampling of bustling feet You can lose your troubled thoughts for tonight at least’
Reviewing Matthews as an actual performer, I was greatly impressed with his audience interaction. Speaking to us like long lost friends, he introduced us the feathered lamp that had followed him on his tour – beautifully named Brenda. His witty lines between songs made the gig that so much more enjoyable yet I struggled to see how he could be so funny when talking yet switch to this serious, focused and solemn artist within his songs. He was mezmorizing. Vocally perfect and visually intriging.
He also had a pretty good support act in the form of Lotte Mullan. With a slight country feel alongside her really sweet voice, she was enjoyable to watch. But more importantly, she has a drummer who
simultaneously played the keyboard – yes, you read that correctly. I actually approached her after the gig to congratulate her on such a good set, and she’s a lovely girl so check her out if you haven’t already.
The only downfall of the gig was the crowd size. Though the intimacy of it being such a small crowd definitely added to the gig as a whole, he really did deserve more, especially after a similar act in Ben Howard, sold out only the night before at the same venue. The Old Fire Station is perfect for the ‘up and close’ feel that acoustic style gigs really need so I hope more people start to realise this and how special it could make the shows there. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed and have been spreading his name around my friends ever since. Furthermore, the inscence gave me a beautiful sleep that night – MUCH APPRECIATED! Scott Matthews – big fan!
http://www.scottmatthewsmusic.co.uk/
Review by Grace O’Grady.
