English singer-songwriter Newton Faulkner, with support from Karima Frances, blew the crowd away at Epic Studios with a performance that was quite simply stunning.
As the venue slowly packed out, Karima took to the stage with her acoustic guitar and a single spotlight. Seemingly a little nervous, she introduced herself to the crowd and spoke of how she had performed with Newton before.
She played a solid 30 minute set which was packed with a whole range of original songs that were very well written and composed. Her voice is stunning, earthy and capable of sweeping naturally across a range of tones and notes with ease.
A lot of the songs that she performed were of a very similar pace, so the set might have benefited from a slight change in tempo to spice things up. Putting that aside, Karima is very talented and it was a shame that some of the crowd talked through the majority of her performance.
After a small break between sets, Newton Faulkner took to the stage met by a lot of screaming fans who seemed more than excited to be lining the barriers of Epic Studios.
He oozed cool from every pore, striking up humorous conversation with the crowd as soon as he reached the microphone. From the moment he appeared, it was very evident how natural it is for him to be up on that stage.
He performed a fantastic array of songs, from the absolute classic 'Dream Catch Me' to funkier tracks like 'Finger Tips' and comedic songs like 'Full Fat'. He performed with such versatility, switching his set list up midway on request of the audience, performing multiple songs that were shouted out from the crowd.
After a minor technical difficulty in the middle where his loop station stopped working, he proceeded to improvise and get the audience to sing the backing melody that he could no longer play without his equipment. The crowds eagerly obliged, humming the tune throughout the track whilst he sung over the top.
It was a very memorable point in the show and just proves how talented Newton is, managing to stay calm and composed when things didn't work out how they were supposed to.
He is able to rearrange songs and ideas within a split second up on stage, something that just proves what a phenomenal musician he is.
Newton managed to play complex finger picking sequences whilst also using the body of the guitar as a drum. Not only that but he also used a kick drum, loop pedal and keyboard at the same time creating a sound that you'd except to hear from multiple musicians.
It was mind blowing that he could so effortlessly fit all of these different parts together with what appeared to be relative ease, another testament to his outstanding capabilities as an artist.
There didn't seem to be a single person that left the venue dissatisfied. We were in the presence of a musical genius, and who wouldn't enjoy that? If you haven't yet seen Newton Faulkner live, you absolutely must find the time. You won't be disappointed.
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