Dallas Deserves Outright Adoration
Weightless blankets of rain carelessly descended from the sky, magnified under the streetlamps of the Welsh capital. The inclement weather however, was nothing new to the inhabitants and was certainly in no means a hindrance to the expressed love, past heartache and complete adoration the multitude of City and Colour fans were about to experience.
The Great Hall of the Students Union was soaked in lilac spotlights, which illuminated the occupant’s faces, revealing their excited expressions. People of all different shapes, sizes, complexions and obsessions had travelled to the venue and, if their appearances had anything to say, it was that City and Colours followers knew no limitations.
A flash of long blonde hair bounced off the stage lights as the petite Lucy Rose entered the stage. Starting with a solo acoustic number, the audience were given a sweet, gentle and slightly nervous introduction to the evening. Due to her anti climatic entrance (and some slight difficulty managing sound levels) however, many at the rear of the venue began to talk amongst themselves, leaving those in the vicinity battling to hear the English artist.
The remainder of the band later emerged and emphasised their professional nature by taking no notice of the scattered chitter-chatter and instead met them with an empowering collection of catchy anthems from her album alongside an angelic aura that surrounded the pint-sized songwriter.
The group’s sound altered as Dallas Green appeared, embracing the blonde Rose halfway through their set and collaborated together for the heavily electronic track, “She’ll Move”. As Mrs Rose prepared to make her exit, it was apparent that she had not gone unnoticed. With her alternative stage manner, creative writing skills and loveable sense of humility, it would have been nothing but an insult to suggest otherwise.
During the interval, the eyes of the crowd stared captivated at the many music-based pieces of bric-a-brac finding their way centre stage including a black Gibson Memphis guitar, which teasingly whispered “patience” in the smoking aroma of a burning incense stick.
The lights fell once more and out walked City and Colour accompanied by his own support band. No welcoming applause was called for as one glance at the spectators signified their total adoration towards the Canadian favourite.
Dallas opened with “Woman”, inducing a euphoric state of mind over the building, which slowly bled into a head swaying ecstasy. The members of the band followed his lead and were unrelenting in their ability to graft their own persona into the concert, as well as earn the recognition they thoroughly deserved. The strong connection they also had between one another was a constant flow. Involuntary movements and playful ticks shared between the members were a tender reminder of that thick relationship of trust.
The set consisted of a wide range of past and present material from albums such as ‘Sometimes’, ‘Bring me your love’ and ‘If I should go before you’. Well-loved tracks, such as “Hello, I’m in Delaware”, were given an interesting ethereal spin for the live performance alongside his band, slowing down to a grave tempo and breathing new air into the classics. In between the emotionally fuelled back-catalogue also came the upbeat soul edge of his newest work including “Northern Blues” and “Wasted Love”.
The solo pieces performed in the enigmatic encore perfectly personified the reason his followers fell for his brand of poignant vulnerability. Embraced lovers and friends alike sung along with City and Colour into the late hours of the night, leaving a distinct atmosphere of togetherness to carry with him through the remainder of his tour.
COMMENTS
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Would have loved to be at this one, Lucy and Dallas, match made in heaven !
