What better way to spend Valentine’s Day than a night in The Globe, immersed in the divine chamber-pop sound and poetic words of Hamish Hawk? After supporting acts including Franz Ferdinand, Villagers and Travis, the Scottish musician is finally here for his headline tour after the release of his album A Firmer Hand late last year.
Supporting tonight are Birmingham duo GANS, with the energy and sound of a full punk rock band despite being a duo, on drums and bass guitar. They take to the stage with a taped-up drumkit, which gives you an idea of how much power they put into their playing. They also have the crowd joining in for a lesson in spelling out ‘Business’ – the title of one of their exhilarating songs – and the drummer walks out into the crowd singing about things he used to believe in. These include Tom Jones and Welsh cakes, to the crowd’s amusement.
A drum head featuring A Firmer Hand’s album cover reminds us who we’re here to see, and anticipation builds in the room for Hamish Hawk. A bass drum starts beating metronomically, and the band take to the stage. Opening with the mellow yet emotive Juliet As Epithet sets an almost haunting atmosphere for the show, while Hamish’s piercing gaze makes it feel as if he is telling a gripping story, eye contact made in turn to each member of the audience. Big Cat Tattoos raises the energy, getting everyone moving after two captivating songs.
Between songs, Hawk speaks to the crowd, asking if everyone’s comfortable and generally making the experience feel more personal. He breaks up the set with more romantic feeling, storytelling with songs Bridget St. John and the country-tinged Rest & Veneers, before picking up the pace again with Disingenuous and You Can Film Me: the latter, my favourite track of the night, has the crowd dancing once again with its 60s-like psychedelic rhythm.
Finishing off the set, Hamish and band play The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973, which has a majority of the crowd singing along and waving their arms: the perfect end to the night, with one audience member handing a white rose to the main man as he leaves the stage. “One more song” chants precede the band’s reemergence for an encore cover of the Rolling Stones’ I Can’t Get No Satisfaction, with the crowd singing and dancing along once again.
The way Hamish Hawk acts out his lyrics is truly captivating: you feel as if you’re watching a show as much as a gig. His stage presence and dramatism combined make for a perfect frontman.
Hamish Hawk + GANS, The Globe, Cardiff, Fri 14 Feb
words and photos CEIRIOS BEBB
