Keaton Henson

The tender falsetto strains of an apparently troubled young male singer-songwriter is a path worn so well it’s straining under the weight of cliché; with the slight physical frame, mumbled between-song interaction and wailing melancholy, Keaton Henson, at-a-glance, ticked all the boxes. Still, the 25-year-old Londoner transcended this familiar feeling beautifully. Plucking out tender folk rock with guitar and mournful cello, Henson’s moving vocals filled the spectacular surroundings of the huge St Bartholomew’s Church with an equally majestic performance. ‘You’, from his second studio album, Birthdays, provoked that rare goose-bump feeling; a standing ovation suggested many felt the same.

St Bartholomew’s Church, 19 October 2013
Rating:
Nick Aldwinckle