ShareDavid Gray performing his Gold In A Brass Age Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Saturday 23rd March 2019
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
There was literally not a seat to be had at the Royal Concert Hall last night when David Gray stopped off to promote his latest studio album, Gold In A Brass Age.
Having not released any new material since 2014, it was his diehard fans that were familiar with the songs that started what turned out to a gamble on Gray’s part as he opened with the melodic Mallory, a slow song which bemused this enthusiastic audience, who may have been expecting a more upbeat start to the evening.
Continuing with seven songs from an album that contains eleven tracks, there was The Sapling with the atmospheric use of the glitter ball and the title track which saw the talented musician effortlessly switch between piano and acoustic guitar mid song; something that he did all evening.
The crowd applauded the hypnotic Furthering whilst the immediately accessible new song It’s Late had the crowd foot tapping along.
Admitting that the first part of the show had been “like a long taster menu” he quickly got the crowd on side when he delved into his older material. Delivering songs from his 1998 album, White Ladder, the evening took a turn for the better with the likes of Sail Away which saw the mood shift from pensive to jubilant.
With a voice that was as strong as ever, and with his signature head bobbing, he delighted with the likes of The Other Side, Be Mine, My Oh My which exceeded expectations and Back In The World, which just served to remind this crowd that he has had three top ten albums stuffed with top quality songs from his earlier days.
Finishing off with the Ivor Novello award winning Babylon which was an absolute highlight, and the soulful Please Forgive Me, which had everyone on their feet, Gray’s gamble had just about paid off.
