Richard Hawley & Ferraby Lionheart @ The Horseshoe

The Legendary Horseshoe was the perfect setting for the sweet baritone croon of Richard Hawley. There's something about the stage setup and the general ambiance of the place that makes it an ideal background for any band sporting semi-pompadour's, classy guitars and a stand-up bass. This was his first time in Toronto as a solo performer, and the attendance certainly reflected the audience's enthusiasm for his venture into our fair city. His English sense of humor was in full force as he quipped that the the last time he was in town with his former band, the audience was basically a bar and "him!" as he pointed to a random audience member. Like his music, his stage presence is very endearing and during certain songs, you could sense the audience's total and rapt engrossment. At one point in the show, the lights dimmed and the orchestral sounds of "Coles Corner" began. I personally think that this is an entirely captivating song, but to see it live is a true experience. Richard's velvety voice is pitch perfect all the time; I did not notice one bum note. During the encore, he took over lead guitar and demonstrated his chops during "The Ocean", where his closing solo lifted his song to stratospheric heights. Some may feel that his music is not really conducive to the music of this era, but, as his performance demonstrated on Wednesday night, some music is absolutely timeless.

Photos: Richard Hawley @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Richard Hawley
Videos: Serious youtube / Tonight The Street's Are Ours youtube

I wasn't really familiar with Ferraby Lionheart prior to this performance, but when I told people about this show, there seemed to be more enthusiasm directed towards him than Mr. Hawley. So, needless to say, I was intrigued. He has a very good sound that reminds me a bit of Elliott Smith. His style (at least in a live setting) is mainly acoustic with songs that sound personal yet easy to digest. It was a very mellow performance and although it was enjoyable, I have to admit that about 4 or 5 songs in, I was ready to move on. Let's not forget however, that I was just at a show the night before that ended really really late (or early depending on your perspective) and I should mention that I felt a cold coming on, which is now in full form this weekend. So perhaps under different circumstances, his set would have met me with more optimism. Anyways, I think I should get some rest.

Photos: Ferraby Lionheart @ The Horseshoe on flickr.
Myspace: Ferraby Lionheart
Videos: A Crack In Time youtube / Small Planet youtube