Luke Pickett - live and acoustic
With my hand on my heart and my mouth open wide, I can say with an honest mind I was utterly impressed with the performance Luke Pickett was able to accomplish at Islington’s Bar Academy.
From his appearance you may expect something a little edgier, rock mostly considering his tattoos, but he has the performance ability that makes everyone in the surrounding venue stop and take note of his unique approach to music; even the support bands stuck around for Pickett’s performance on the last night of his tour.
Being just one man and his guitar, it takes someone with confidence, self-assurance and a great love of music to be able to stand alone in front of a crowd of a hundred plus individuals, all of different ages. Pickett showed appreciation to those standing, and sitting on the floor in front of him. It wasn’t the gob smacking music that made the entire place warm up like a cosy winter’s night by the fire, but the appreciation between musician and audience. As I sat there in front of this gifted young musician, I was glued to the stage. This lad has the voice of an angel. It is so remarkably gentle, enthralling and heart warming that you find yourself locked in and unable to pay attention to anything else within your surroundings. Pickett writes all his own material, lyrics and melodies and for someone so young this is a remarkable talent to hold.
His performance may have looked simple, but his poise towards tracks such as ‘Lay Down Your Cards’, ‘Blood Money’, ‘Empty Corridors’, ‘The Casino Brawl’ and ‘Cruel Love’ was completely processional. As well as these tracks, he dedicated a few numbers; most notably ‘Tattoos’ to For The Common Wealth, his support band for the tour. He also gave a taste of new material such as ‘Two Worlds Apart’ he has been putting together and ‘Dream Love Cure’ a track he wrote for a cancer charity.
If there was one solo musician to recommend, the name to remember is Luke Pickett, a man made for the stage.