Live Review: Natty at Princess Pavillions
First up was singer-songwriter Calum Findlay. Born in Scotland he now frequents the South West and the crowd were certainly glad he made the switch. His relaxed blend of acoustic guitar and chilled out lyrics were well received by the audience and what started as a relatively empty venue soon began to fill up as more people were captivated by his playing. An impromptu appearance by Natty on drums seemed to be a surprise not only to the us but to Calum as well who definitely didn’t mind the support although he definitely didn’t need it. The audience seemed to really enjoy the set and I even grabbed myself a CD afterwards. Good stuff.
Next up was Ayanna, a female singer and cellist from London who is a leading light in Black Folk music. It’s easy to see why she is getting such a buzz, her brilliance on the Cello is only shadowed by her amazingly beautiful vocals and song writing. Immediately captivating the audience with her soulful voice she played through her set with a grace which forced the audience to warm to her music. Not normally something I would venture out to listen to but I am sure glad that I got the chance to see her live.
There was a real sense of anticipation in the audience before Natty came on, from both people who had seen him before and knew what to expect or people who hadn’t but had heard how great live this artist really is. He really didn’t disappoint. Debuting new material from his Change EP, Natty and his band were clearly happy to have returned to Falmouth as they received a fantastic welcome from the crowd. An early outing in his set for fan favourite ‘Cold Town’ from his debut album ‘Man Like I’ really got the crowd moving whilst material from 2010′s ‘Things I’ve Done EP’ and his latest offering show us just how much he has progressed in his song writing. One thing that hasn’t changed, the youthful exuberance of his performance, dancing around the stage whilst occasionally breaking to look at the crowd with warmth. Notable songs of the set included the classics ‘July’, ‘Badman’ and ‘Bedroom Eyes’ which immediately had the ladies of the room melting into his hands.
He ended proceedings with the epic ‘Kill them with Music Instead’, which had the whole room entranced in what is fast becoming one of my favourite live songs of all time. The set included no encore as the venue called time on the gig but the fans went home more than happy with the 90 minutes of top quality music they had witnessed by Natty and the band. A truly fantastic gig which allowed us all to escape the boredom of a Autumn’s evening in Cornwall so thank you Natty! Lewis Lowe
