ShareDavid Gray performing his Past & Present Tour at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Monday 24th March 2025.
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
David Gray brought his Past & Present tour to the Royal Concert Hall on Monday night and whilst he is celebrating the release of his latest album, Dear Life, he delivered a set that celebrated all of the eras which make up his career that included a deep dive through his entire discography.
Playing centre stage either with his guitar in hand or behind his keyboard, his vocals were the lead throughout the night, and kicking off with the beautiful new song After The Harvest, it was immediately clear that he has not lost any of his vocal abilities, as his stripped down style suited the emotional lyrics perfectly.
There were many songs from his international hit album, White Ladder that had the entire crowd up on their feet, clapping and dancing along to the beat. There was the melodic My Oh My and when the opening chords to one of his most popular hits, the soulful Please Forgive Me rang out, the crowd sang along almost drowning out Gray’s voice and as he bobbled his head energetically the crowd got more and more into it.
He built a set list that blended most of his albums to come together for the big picture and to tell a story of life on the likes of the incredibly haunting The Other Side and the emotionally resonant The One I Love.
The first guitar strums of Babylon sparked instant screams and claps and as Gray delivered a stripped down version, the crowd were on their feet in appreciation. Ever since he had a hit with this song he became the man that the pop cognoscenti like to sneer at but with his brilliant song writing and his fabulous gritty and raspy voice, he has proved them all wrong with his staying power. He has never really been a pop star but he has found his niche and an impressive one it is.
