Originally I wrote this review for my American
friend as he is a massive fan of City and Colour
(4) and has yet to see Dallas Green live. I thought
it would be nice to make him drip with jealousy.
So this is dedicated to my transatlantic comrade;
Joe.
I had never been to a gig quite like this one
before. As me and my two housemates walked into
the HMV Forum we were surrounded by people that
looked like variations of the same person. All
the guys were either in check or denim shirts
and all the girls were wearing denim or flower
print. Everyone had a tunnel, piercings or a new
school tattoo. Not to say I’m completely
unique, my cardigan did have swallows on it, but
it was just a bit bizarre.
When we finally made it onto the balcony, after
stopping off at the bar, the place was packed
out. Although there was no chance on getting a
seat we did mange to get a place with a pretty
good view of the stage so I wasn’t gong
to miss a thing. After waiting with baited breath
Dallas walked out on stage wearing a white shirt
and little brown boots; you barely noticed the
other band members making an appearance. The whole
place goes crazy with screams, cheering and clapping.
He hadn't even opened his mouth and everyone was
eating out the palm of his hand.
Opening with ‘Forgive Me’ what feels
like the entire venue bursts into song along with
him almost as loud as he is. This carries on throughout
the set. Although the bulk of the crowd is singing
along his voice still manages to totally engross
you.
Mid act the stage dimmed, the rest of the band
made an exit and Dallas was flooded with a spotlight.
Armed with just a guitar and a harmonica he played
'Body in a Box' with the backdrop shrouded in
little fairylights to make it look like stars
at night. This was one of my favourite songs of
the night along with ‘Death of Me’
and ‘Waiting’. Along with old favourites
he also played a couple of new songs: ‘Silver
and Gold’ and ‘Oh Sister’
When he plays he completely comes to life and
does this funny thing with his feet like half
keeping time and half dancing. However his mid
song banter let him down. The majority of the
time I either couldn’t understand what he
was saying or just couldn’t hear. In comparison
to his singing voice he sounds monotone. Although
he did make the whole crowd laugh with his joke
in reference to the out of time clapping and whether
or not it was a ploy to make him loose time.
For his encore he did an acapella version of
'Grinnin' In Your Face' which was outstanding.
He literally captivated everyone in the place.
I was transfixed. His voice manages to express
the emotion of the song flawlessly. After finishing
with a stunning rendition of 'Sleeping Sickness'
I left with a melted heart. When he sings he draws
you in and brings his songs to life. He is definitely
performer that needs to be seen.
City And Colour 4/5
Review By Nicci Peet
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