Live Review
Dan Croll
Village Underground, London
October 5 2016
Words/Photos: Jess Sharrock
Dan Croll graced a packed out Village Underground in Shoreditch for his only headline show in London earlier this evening, and as expected it was a wonderful night. As a graduate of The Liverpool Institute of Performing Arts, the Newcastle-born singer-songwriter has transpired to be an incredible talent.
His critically lauded 2014 debut album 'Sweet Disarray' showed he has no intention of sticking to one genre. His aim, in his own words, is “to approach pop from an unusual angle”, and that’s exactly what he does, and displayed so well here in London tonight. He has a great ability to write razor-sharp, heart-on-sleeve lyrics and pair them with joyfully, infectious rhythms. All his songs are upbeat indie-pop filled with catchy hooks, which seem to just get better and better.
His set consisted of a mix of the old and the new, interspersed with Dan’s charming conversations with the audience. This man is definitely a crowd pleaser and I think I could well be in love! With songs from 'Sweet Disarray', including ‘One Of Us’, ‘Thinkin Aboutchu’ and ‘Compliment Your Soul’, along with a bunch of fresh numbers including current single ‘Swim’, which although we felt like we waited forever for it to be released, is a perfect piece of electro-indie-pop and even made Annie Mac’s Hottest Record on BBC Radio 1. The crowd happily sang and danced along to each song throughout the evening. Following the main set, Dan (and his very talented band) disappeared, and then re-emerged back on stage to give many enthusiastic fans one last song: an encore of ‘Home’, again, also from his debut album.
In recent years, Dan has had some huge opportunities to support the likes of Bastille, Haim and Imagine Dragons. He’s currently off around Europe with Daughter and then onto a number of headline shows in the US and Canada. With an eagerly anticipated new album planned for release on Communion Records early in 2017, it’s a very exciting time to be a Dan Croll fan - or to catch up and become one. Keep watching, it will be worth it.
No comments:
Post a Comment