Ones to watch: Lewis Capaldi
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It seems nowadays that singer songwriters are no longer interesting to the general public. They want something more exuberant, more uplifting, more euphoric - usually aided by the use of synthesisers which seem to be exceedingly popular in the mainstream. All this is fine and well, but it sometimes feels that singer songwriters just aren't given as much of a chance as much as they used to be. Maybe that's a good thing, though. I suppose to really make it and be noticed as a musician - and a singer songwriter - they have to be really, really good.
Step forward: Lewis Capaldi. A young lad from Bathgate who is, of course, a singer songwriter and a really, really fucking great one at that. I've had his song Hold On stuck in my head for quite some time now.
I was first introduced to Capaldi when he played First Run Records first live showcase. I was on the door dealing with the ticketing that night but I had heard only high praises about him. I knew he was playing but I didn't get a chance to properly hear him perform. The venue was vast and the free beer on offer created chatter from audience so unfortunately what I managed to hear was a little bit diluted. Capaldi has to be sat down and listened to, first, and then seen up close and personal to that you can really grasp how talented he is as a singer. He then after that played on stage at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut, being the only support for Luke Friend. The scenario was perfect and his performance was phenomenal.
Not only can he write and perform his own songs, he can put his own touch on covers and turn them into something that his uniquely his own. I think it could be easy for some cynics to put Capaldi in the same category as musicians such as Jake Bugg, Paolo Nutini and bands like the View. (All of which he has covered.) Yes, he has a similar style and tone but he's still young. We all have to find our roots from somewhere. The potential in him in staggering, and he's brilliant now. I can't wait to see how his voice will mature over the next couple of years. I think one other thing I like about him is his authenticity. He's posted many various songs on his YouTube channel and the majority of them are just him in his room, and in the opening frame you can see him pulling his arm away from the record button. It's just him, his guitar, and his voice. That's it. Nothing too zany or snazzy. With a voice like his, the bare minimum is all he needs.
His next supporting gig is at the Electric Circus in Edinburgh with Indigo Velvet on the 9th of October. If you're in Edinburgh or thereabouts: GO. Seriously. Just go. Get a ticket and go yourself. Buy yourself a beer and make sure you catch him. He'll blow you away and you'll have me to thank. Get tickets HERE.
EDIT: he's also playing at Electric Fields, so if you're there catch him too.
Follow Lewis on Facebook and Soundcloud. Thank me later.
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