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It
must be strange to play your hometown but Matt Hales seems to be
enjoying himself immensely.
Strumming his guitar and backed by his band,
including his brother Ben, he opens with Left Behind before sitting
down to his tea-light topped piano where he stays for the remainder
of the gig.
From his stool he chats to the audience about growing up in Southampton,
reminiscing about going to Barton Peveril School and catching the
number 47 bus. Each memory receives whoops of recognition from the
crowd who are clearly here to support one of their own.
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| Multi-talented
Matt |
Having
old friends and fans in the audience isn't without its drawbacks
as song titles are jokingly heckled as Matt talks. After a while
Matt explains that he was in a band before Aqualung and those are
names of songs that they used to play. "I think they're trying
to put me off," he says light-heartedly, "It's working."
It
doesn't show. Tonight he's completely on form. Each song is crisp,
clear and perfectly played. His classical training is on display
as he performs on the piano and takes us through tracks from his
second album, Still Life.
His
music is slightly melancholic but also strangely uplifting. This
isn't moshing material. Instead the audience sways along to the
gentle feel of songs like current single Easier To Lie. There are
definite similarities to Coldplay and Radiohead's The Bends. Listening
to him play live, it beats me why he's not as successful as both
of these bands. His voice could easily match Thom Yorke's and his
songs would sit comfortably on A Rush Of Blood To The Head.
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| Matt
Hales - jolly nice chap |
Finishing
with a spine-tingling version of the hit Strange And Beautiful (I'll
put a spell on you) and last single Brighter Than Sunshine, Matt
takes a bow before returning for the encore where he sings Happy
Birthday to a girl in the audience, much to the delight of her screaming
friends, and dedicates a song to his pregnant wife, Kim. He also
gives us a taste of what he did with Ben on their two man tour last
month, a duet of The Beach Boy's Don't Talk (put your head on my
shoulder).
Matt
tells us between songs that he's called Aqualung because he feels
his music has an underwater vibe. Listening, I can imagine being
underwater but I'm reminded more of being on a beach at the crack
of dawn, watching the sun rise. That might sound corny but it's
definitely the feeling I get. It's music to wake up to - tranquil,
beautiful and serene.
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