Newton Faulkner - 28th Nov 07 - Review

Newton Faulkner, Live at Shepherds Bush Empire, Wednesday 28th November 07

I haven't been a Newton Faulkner fan for long it has to be said, but my ears soon pricked up when i heard 'Dream Catch Me' for the first time on Radio 1 which was enough to pursuade me to buy the album.

Newton Faulkners music is a mixture of heartfelt acoustic blues, with a pop edge covering a range of genres such as, folk, soul and country. He has been compared with the likes of Jack Johnson and continues to grow in success.

I was lucky enough to see him live at Shepherds Bush Empire on Wednesday 28th November 07 with a bunch of my mates for my birthday.

Firstly i would reccommend anyone to watch a gig at Shepherd Bush, it truely is something pretty special. We were on level 3 in the seated area and even that felt close, it really is an intimate venue to watch your favourite artist. Each level has its very own bar, which we visited on a regular basis, and the perfect view overlooking the stage.

Newton Faulkner had two support bands which kick started the event, followed by Newton himself, coming on at 9.00pm.

He had fantastic stage presence, a single guy and his guitar, entertaining 2,000 people really can't be easy. His laid back approach really was apparent as he strolled onto the stage, dreadlocks and all, guiltar in one hand, a little smile and hello, his warm, gentle personality captured the hearts of the audience instantly..

The first song he played, his guitar string broke, near to the end of the song, he made a joke and continued when a new one was handed to him, but this wasnt unusual, after every song he played, he changed his guitar for another one.

He played popular songs, 'Teardrop', 'Dream catch me', 'Gone in the morning' U.F.O and other songs that didn't make it onto the album. One audience member asked why they hadn't made it onto the album, laid back Newton simply replied, 'why?, errr, dunno really mate, just didn't'.

Inbetween songs he would tell funny stories of his life and how he got started, his voice was something special, if you closed your eyes, it was like listening to his album, his voice and his ability to play the guiter complimented each other beautifully... He was joined on stage with a drummer and another guitarist for a few songs but mainly entertained his fans with his own voice and his own guitar. If you enjoy watching a truely talented musician at work then Newton Faulkner is for you. Check out his tour dates on his website:

http://www.newtonfaulkner.com/

If you have a music review or a topic you would like to talkabout and have published on this website then please e-mail me at.

emma.cox@thelocalchannel.co.uk