Charlie Simpson at The Thekla in Bristol on Wednesday 4 February 2015

Posted on: 2015-02-06

Our rating:

Bristol?s iconic Thekla is the intimate setting for a show that only serves as further proof of the unquestionable musicianship and song writing prowess of Charlie Simpson. It?s a wonderful time to take stock of what is being done by this musician.


 

Bristol’s iconic Thekla is the intimate setting for a show that only serves as further proof of the unquestionable musicianship and song writing prowess of Charlie Simpson. Granted, there will always be a ‘3-piece boyband’ shaped elephant in the room wherever Simpson is concerned. However, for those in the know, this disappeared 10 years ago with Fightstar’s release of Palahniuk’s Laughter and has continued unabated. The musical journey that started, even during his last days with Busted, has all lead to his latest, possibly most accomplished release to date, 2014’s Long Road Home.

Effortlessly charismatic and engaging, perhaps from 15 years in the spotlight, Charlie Simpson has the crowd on his side before a single string is plucked. He opens up proceedings with ‘Comets’, followed by ‘Down, Down, Down’ and from there flits between tracks from the current album and other crowd favourites from previous release Young Pilgrim (2011). Each song is delivered in his ever-recognisable deep, warming voice and punctuated by well-judged falsetto and harmonies with his two ‘band mates’ – though this is very much a solo show. 

Of those band mates, Alex Davies plays guitar and bass, while Andrew Blackwell plays keyboard. Interestingly, Andrew was also the previous support act, tabbed as ‘Blackwell’. His style being slightly more upbeat yet equally well thought-out and intriguing, he delivered something the audience was possibly not expecting, especially when a megaphone makes an appearance in his second song. Managing to fill the stage whilst sitting alone at a keyboard is no mean feat, especially when it’s clear who the assembled crowd of 400 have come to see. But fill it he does and he leaves to warm applause and hushed musings of ‘we should check him out’ between friends in the audience. And check him out you can at @WeAreBlackwell.

There is good crowd interaction between each song, and only one shout of “play Year 3000” which is comically rebuffed as being a joke more than 10 years old. Charlie’s a little more grateful for the ‘do your zip up’ shout after the next song. One thing that stands out is when Charlie dedicates ‘Sundown’ to kids from The Teenage Cancer Trust whom he met earlier that day. After the show he confirms that he had spent a couple of hours meeting young cancer sufferers in Bristol and even played a few songs for them. Many of them are actually at the show. A heart-warming experience and no doubt one of the good things to come out of the huge fame accrued early in his career. 

There are no low points in Simpsons set - an achievement in and of itself. There are many highs, including a quite breathtaking cover of Imogen Heap’s ‘Hide and Seek’, during which you can hear a pin drop as the crowd stare open-mouthed. ‘Cemetery’ gets the loudest sing-along of the night and rapturous applause upon completion. During this song you can really feel the emotion Charlie poured forward during those early days with Fightstar.

It’s a wonderful time to take stock of what is being done by this musician, when he no doubt had the option to make mega-money on certain ‘other’ tours he was no doubt asked to be a part of. By the time he belts out the lines “It’s best to lose yourself before you ever lose your pride” during the excellent encore The Farmer And His Gun, you can sense what this means to the crowd and the man they have come to see. There really is something wonderful about music made by a person for themselves and nothing else. 

5/5

Reviewed by  James Anderson for 365Bristol the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.