Lewis Capaldi, Glasgow review: 'left only happiness in his wake'
Lewis Capaldi received a warm welcome on his return to Glasgow, writes Fiona Shepherd
Lewis Capaldi, Hydro, Glasgow ★★★
There was only ever going to be the warmest of welcomes for Lewis Capaldi making his hometown comeback following a two-year hiatus to look after his health. What has changed in that time? On this occasion, the famous Capaldi showman humour was dialled down in favour of a mildly confessional honesty and an assurance that he was well.
There was no need for masking as his voice rang out truer, stronger and divested of mannerisms on new single Survive even if the thundering catharsis, abetted by his band, was still a thoroughly unsubtle feature of his music. Capaldi remains eloquent in expressing his vulnerability through his lyrics but cannot or will not complement this with any musical fragility, turning the simple miss-you sentiments of Wish You the Best into a self-pitying wallow.
The Capaldi catalogue covers the love spectrum, from the grateful salvation of Heavenly Kind of State of Mind to the teetering relationship depicted on early hit Grace. Mawkish piano ballad Love the Hell Out of You rivalled Ed Sheeran as first wedding dance fodder while it sounded like he is trying to crack the funerals market too with new song Something in the Heavens, throwing everything at it – falsetto chorus, light-up bracelets for the fans and the words splashed over the curtained backdrop.
Later, he really did engage with a funeral – his own – on The Day That I Die, another new song “about feeling s***e” which he hailed as his most personal and possibly saddest yet. There is some competition for that title but it clearly took Capaldi back to a darker place as he expressed a desire for no tears at his eventual departure and only to leave happiness in his wake. Hearing the Hydro roar and seeing an overcome young fan in the crowd, dressed up like Capaldi in towel turban, only confirmed that that mission has already been accomplished.
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