Hudson Taylor
– ACADEMY 2, MANCHESTER –
It’s a (Irish) family affair.
The night kicks off with Dublin’s Jack Morris, whose solo acoustic performance clearly displays his main strength of being a seasoned songwriter. His ability to convey his own unique view of the world around him, teamed with strong melodies show why he is so respected by the current wave of Irish songwriters. He endorses himself with an unfamiliar audience by explaining that he has written songs with tonight’s headliners Hudson Taylor, and in return they listen on approvingly as he tells tales of drunken nights and heartbreak. A cover of Lou Reed’s ‘Walk on the Wild side’ is thrown into the mix, a fun moment that lyrically fits in well with Morris’ gritty social commentary. The set ends with standout track ‘Rathmines Blues’, a song that shows Morris reflecting upon the moment of realisation that a relationship has forever ended, a song definitely worth checking out.
Up next are Southern, a brother/sister duo hailing from Belfast. Both Thom and Lucy Southern are talented singers and talented guitar players, but as if to fit into the theme of tonight, their main strength is their song writing. Joined onstage by drummer Eoghan Clifford and bass player Daryl Pruess, Southern bash out a refreshing blend of blues, alternative rock, and pop. The most impressive thing about Southern is how consistently good the songs are, with ‘Shout It’, ‘Just Think About It’ and ‘Where I Want to Be’ all sounding like sure fire hits. There are noticeable ‘whoops’ from the crowd as Southern introduce the song ‘Cool Kids’, perhaps their most popular song to date. Thom then reveals that not only is their drummer from Manchester, but himself and Lucy were born in this great city. The crowd lap this up and respond to ‘Where I Want to Be’ as emphatically as they would for any home town band. The fun continues as the siblings pose for a selfie with the audience, with Lucy proclaiming “Look at you all. Beautiful”. They end their set with bluesy barnstormer ‘World Don’t Shine’. For the majority of the audience tonight has been a perfect introduction to an exciting new band. Congratulations Southern on a job well done.
So here we are, the night’s main event. Brothers Alfie and Harry Hudson Taylor take to the stage with their band. They are here on the 5th night of their Singing for Strangers tour, promoting their upcoming debut album. Hudson Taylor have gone from strength to strength over the last couple of years, and tonight they play their biggest Manchester show to date at a sold out Academy 2.
Southern
The audience tonight seems somewhat divided. There are those who almost see Hudson Taylor as the second coming of Simon and Garfunkel, who show a deep respect for the beautifully crafted folk songs that the Dublin born brothers are renowned for. Then there are the fans who have caught onto Hudson Taylor, apparently attracted by how cute Alfie and Harry are. They like the radio friendly folk pop songs that Hudson Taylor are equally adept at penning, and are mostly young females who enjoy screaming. At times it is as if Hudson Taylor are the Beatles of 1964, Hudson Taylormania indeed. Alfie and Harry spend most of the set playing acoustic guitars and singing tight melodies, backed by drums, bass and keys/violin. Early highlights of tonight’s set included fan favourite ‘Weapons’, new single ‘World Without You’ and the upbeat and catchy ‘Don’t Tell Me’. There is a change of pace that saw the rest of the band leave the stage while Alfie and Harry took a step forward to perform an unplugged version of ‘Arrive’.
When Hudson Taylor played Manchester Academy 3 last year the crowd watched on in respectful silence as the brothers performed a song with no amplifiers and no microphones, and it was truly amazing. Tonight though, there is a section of the crowd who were desperate to scream their approval, even during this most intimate of moments. Disapproving shushing from other audience members only seemed to spur them on. This resulted in a large number of people who were at the back of the venue switching off and talking between themselves. Unfortunately, as the venues and crowds get bigger, it is going to get more difficult for Alfie and Harry to make what used to be a highlight of their live shows work. Moments later however, Hudson Taylor announce that they have a special guest joining them, and as Alfie’s squeeze Gabrielle Aplin takes to the stage the crowd go crazy. The audience watch on adoringly as Hudson Taylor and Aplin perform a harmony soaked version of ‘Beautiful Mistake’ in what felt like a truly special moment. As Aplin leaves the stage Hudson Taylor’s band return, and Alfie and Harry ask that the crowd join them in singing happy birthday to their dear auntie Ellie who was in attendance tonight.
Hudson Taylor
They close off the acoustic section of their set with ‘Pray for the Day’, a song that is so instantly memorable and catchy that the crowd manages to sing along despite it not featuring on any of the band’s records. Next we see a change in pace in ‘Stranger’, a foot stomping, hand clapping old school rock and roll song. This song features Harry playing bluesy riffs on an electric guitar before the band break into a cover of ACDC’s ‘Back in Black’, much to the approval of the audience. Further highlights of the set are ‘Chasing Rubies’, a song that the crowd loudly sing along to, and ending the set my personal favourite ‘Care’. The encore sees Alfie and Harry return to the stage to play what will be the closing track of their album ‘Off The Hook’ before being re-joined by their band to perform ‘Don’t Know Why’ with guest Jack Morris.
The night ends with the anthemic and charged ‘Battles’, a fast paced and energetic song which receives the biggest reaction of the night. Tonight I witnessed one of my favourite little bands all grown up, and in a selfish way I’ll miss what we once had. The days of every single audience member getting to meet the band on the way out of the venue are unfortunately gone, but Hudson Taylor are destined for bigger things. Enjoy it lads, you deserve it.
Hudson Taylor Official | Facebook | Twitter | Youtube
