Paolo Nutini
Hydro, Glasgow
“Hello Glasgow, let’s have some fun.” That was about your lot in terms of stage repartee from Paolo Nutini, addressing his home crowd on the first of a whopping five night run at the city’s largest indoor venue. But Nutini didn’t really need words when he had, in no particular order, a tremendous tight-but-loose band, an ambitious new album which lends itself to an arena setting, an accompanying swirl of retro, psychedelic visual effects reminiscent of a mid-70s Top of the Pops episode and an easy, charismatic presence that comes off looking like Leif Garrett’s hunky older brother (or younger, depending on which picture of Leif Garrett you are looking at).
As for fun…well, this wasn’t a hands/beer/lighter-in-the-air experience but it was, variously, absorbing, exhilarating, hypnotic, brooding, beautiful and truly impressive over a substantial two-hour-plus set, from the understated seduction of Acid Eyes to the rugged Everywhere and pop epic Shine a Light via old favourites such as Scream (Funk My Life Up), with Nutini on tasty electric piano licks and his bandmates on tip-top backing vocals.
He delved back to second album Sunny Side Up for the simple acoustic gem Coming Up Easy, which retained its freewheeling stomping coda. Older songs such as Jenny Don’t Be Hasty and New Shoes were reworked in a medley with a burst of The Undertones’ Teenage Kicks.
There was no room in this mature set for two of his early favourites, These Streets and Last Request, but Nutini has plenty more in reserve including the transcendent Iron Sky, a trippy soulful house rendition of Let Me Down Easy and new favourite Through the Echoes which has captured his fanbase in much the same way as the mellow but aching sentiment of the timeless Candy.
Feature image credit: Louise Andrews
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