Music / BIMM Bristol
Review: George Ezra, Bristol O2 Academy
George Ezra ingratiated himself to his home crowd on Tuesday evening, playing to a packed out O2 Academy on the Bristol leg of his UK tour.
The bluesy-punk-pop singer defines breakthrough success. Since releasing his debut album Wanted on Voyage in July, the 21-year-old has become a big name, only this week getting knocked off the top of the album charts after a fortnight at number one.
A few short months ago, we saw him play to a less-than-capacity crowd at Fiddlers in Bedminster. From a show that felt like it was in someone’s garage, his Academy appearance showcased a full blown, chart-topping artist. His trademark booming bluesy voice now more refined and with a new, well-earned confidence.
is needed now More than ever
A zealous crowd knew all of the words and Ezra looked genuinely delighted at hearing the entirety of Budapest sung loudly back to him at the end of his set.
The best received songs of the evening were the more acoustic ones. During Leaving It Up To You, Ezra apologised for the lack of a choir who feature on the album and promised to “do his best”, but his devoted fans proved a willing stand-in.
A noisy, rock-tinged version of Blind Man in Amsterdam was the only song in the set that didn’t go down well and the mass singalong was temporarily silenced.
Ezra kicked off the encore with a version of Girls Just Wanna Have Fun and finished off the evening with old EP favourite Did You Hear The Rain? where for a moment, it looked as though he was going for an Aguilera-style warble.
The intro to the song was drawn out almost to the point of farce, calling to mind visions of Friends’ The One Where Phoebe Gets a Cold (think Sticky Shoe).
Thankfully, those fears were unfounded and before long he broke into the recognisable darker, powerful track, albeit with a noticeably heavier percussion than we’re used to, potentially suggesting a more rocky direction to come from Bristol’s newest musical prodigy.
George Ezra has just announced a show at the Colston Hall on February 17, 2015. Tickets go on sale at 9am on Friday, October 24. Visit www.georgeezra.com for more information.
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