for fans of: Jake Bugg, Matt Corby, Lianne La Havas, Tom Odell, Keaton Henson
When my friend Olivia and I arrived at Camden's Dingwalls on Tuesday night, we were a tad freaked out to find that we were probably the youngest attendees of the sold-out George Ezra gig. It was weird. I've never been to a concert for a young, talented, (sounds really girly and embarrassing and immature to say this but I'm only stating the facts! Let's not beat around the bush! I'll shut up now!) attractive guy where the crowd wasn't littered with squealing pre-teens (which was nice, don't get me wrong. Oh Lord, it was very nice not to have people heckling like "LUV YUUU GEORGIE, YER WELL FIT" every 5 frickin' minutes. I sound like a snob so I'll shut up again). Despite supporting BRIT critics choice crooner Tom Odell, massive Radio 1 airplay, and being featured among the next big things for the BBC's prestigious Sound of 2014 poll as well as MTV's Brand New list, he played the Dingwalls show to a packed crowd of... old people. I'm joking guys you were all only, like, forty - your best years are ahead of you! Ha!Ha!Ha!
With his tour being completely sold out months in advance, and tickets to these elusive live dates have been selling for a whopping £80 on Seatwave, Ezra proves the only way for him is up. He commanded the crowd's attention with set opener 'Blame It On Me', blossoming with lyrics fueled with convivial sadness - sharing likeness to his other tunes in its own soulfully upbeat way. Yet he also continued to keep the audience in the palm of his hand not only with turning points like 'Leaving It Up To You', but also with his between song banter; raw and effortless wit funny enough for a career in comedy - George Fezra may I suggest? That's patented, by the way... #petaned (I tried).
It's a true rarity to hear such a tremendous voice, as if rooted from the Deep South of America itself. He has surprised critics and fans alike with his rich vocals that are clearly way beyond his years (as cliche as that sounds), much like his taste in music - Ezra cites folk legends like Woody Guthrie as major influences. Despite this maturity, there is still a youthful optimism to his music such as his latest single - probably drawing similarities to 'Lightning Bolt' - the uplifting 'Cassy O' - a clever and charming tale of time escaping. And though the EP version of 'Benjamin Twine' has its similarities with that track, his live take on his song about falling in love with your best friend's sister is rife with passion and enchantment.
The live version of his previous single 'Budapest' was the most spellbinding of his solo acoustic set - it even had the more mature audience singing along. Ezra proved the stage to be his true stomping ground with twiddling guitar hooks and authentic stage presence. However his troubadour-esque voice was most outstanding on 'Did You Hear The Rain?', which was opened with a chilling acapella intro. Just like the studio recording it's deliciously slick, enticing, and as full of soul as the balladeer himself.
this photo defines the phrase "you tried" #clapped
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