24 January 2018 (gig)
27 January 2018
Two moments of emotion at very different ends of the spectrum stand out from this superb gig. One involves Anderson East calling out a woman for staring at her mobile phone as he shares a deep and meaningful reflection of human interaction. The other has the audience giggling away at his wondering what the UK’s fascination with Brown Sauce is all about. “Brown is not a thing” he rather accurately points out.
This is just one moment of hilarity as the Nashville singer entertains both with his comedic timing and with his outstanding voice. The Omeara is packed for this visit of a singer whose star is on the rise and set to soar further. He’s joined on stage by six other top class musicians to fill this small cave-like venue with sound. On guitar are the Johnny Depp lookalike brothers, while a trumpet and saxophone ensure East’s full-on sound is replicated live; "normally there are more of us on stage than tonight". I can imagine.
New songs like King for a Day and a House Is A Building sound terrific, while the lead single Girlfriend and the raunchy All On My Mind have the reserved London crowd swaying. Of the older songs, the likes of Devil In Me and Satisfy Me underline just why East begins the evening by questioning his genre pigeon-holing as country music. East is a cross between soul, blues, pop and country and all the more refreshing for it.
East says he’s hugely grateful for the attentive turn out, describing one ‘scary’ silence between songs. It's during his reflection of the connection with the crowd that he shares his despair with 'phone woman'. He apologises for picking on her but he's made the point. If you're going to enjoy a gig, why do so through a lens? Just another reason to like him!
