Paolo Nutini returned to live music after an eight-year break on Friday night, and as he entered to Patricia Arquette’s final speech from True Romance reverberating through the room, we were quickly reminded that he really is “so cool”. What followed was a kaleidoscope of colour and sound, showcasing a psychedelic revamp of the Paisley musician’s back catalogue, intimate acoustic moments and thundering anthemic rock, paired with a trippy lightshow.
Kicking off with Lose It, this first taste of latest album Last Night In The Bittersweet would continue to influence and dominate the setlist. Stranded Words signalled the start of a more tender acoustic section of the show, Nutini opening his arms to the crowd and asking, “Have I shown you enough of me? / You know, yourself can be so hard to be… and tonight I need you.”
Pulling up a stool for One Day and Better Man, Nutini held the crowd in the palm of his hand and bared his soul for two of his most sentimental tracks live. Ending with Through The Echoes, the band faded out to highlight his trademark gravelly vocals, making for a hair-raising moment as the crowd thundered along with him for the final chorus.
“It’s so good to be back,” he drawled, and then swiftly on with the show as the tempo picked up for Candy and a Good Vibrations-style rework of Pencil Full Of Lead, which had everyone twisting in a throwback to the swinging 60s. A bold theme of the night, Nutini continued to rework and breathe new life into his old classics, rolling together a punk rock rendition of Jenny Don’t Be Hasty and New Shoes with a cover of The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks.
After an undulating trip through slower sensitive moments and fast-paced guitar riffs, the encore was the crescendo, with the rousing speech from epic ballad Iron Sky followed by anthemic single Shine A Light. Delivering on lyrics commanding “let’s dance, baby!”, Paolo Nutini bounced energetically around the stage to an extended dance music outro, ending the evening of live music on a lighthearted high and suggesting he really is happy to be back.
Paolo Nutini, Cardiff International Arena, Fri 4 Nov
words ANNIE BISHOP
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