George Ezra Barnett (born 7 June 1993) an English singer, songwriter and guitarist played his first UK Arena tour opening at the UKs music capital – Liverpool on a Tuesday night. His sold out concert had a capacity crowd of 14000 chanting and whooping fans, who wordperfect, sang back to him the lyrics to the majority of his songs.
The double denim wearing, twenty nine year old who could pass for Martin Clunes’ (Doc Martin) son was overjoyed to be performing as a headliner on an arena tour. He eloquently, profusely continually thanked the crowd for not only coming out to see him and his band play tonight but also for all the support his fans have given him since his meteoric rise to fame.
After releasing two EPs, Did You Hear the Rain? (2013) and Cassy O’ (2014), Ezra rose to prominence with the release of his hit single, “Budapest“, which reached number one in several countries. His debut studio album, Wanted on Voyage, was released in June 2014, reaching number one in the UK and the top ten in seven other countries. It was also the third-best-selling album of 2014 in the UK.
Ezra’s second studio album, Staying at Tamara’s, was released in 2018 and reached number one in the UK and the top ten in eight other countries. The second single from the album, “Paradise“, reached number two in the UK, while the next single, “Shotgun“, reached number one, becoming Ezra’s first chart-topping single in the UK, Ireland and Australia. In February 2019, he won the Brit Award for British Male Solo Artist. Ezra released his third studio album, Gold Rush Kid, in May 2022. Many of the songs he performed to the delighted crowd at the concert.
The concert opened with the boppy country mix of Tiger Lily ensuring that the all-age concert was off to a raucous start. Surprisingly, there was even a ‘bouncing’ mosh-pit! Definitely something I was not expecting to see in the standing section of the arena. This wholesome, smiley guy is… someone who most girls would be happy to take home to meet their mother; your dad would want to rock out with and your brothers and sisters would want to party with.
George bantered with the audience, told anecdotes and more impressively shared the inspiration for most of his songs. The best and most poingnant one being: whilst on holiday with friends in St Lucia, drinking homemade rum punch, he chatted to passersby asking why there was such a carnival atmosphere in the small village. The villagers responded that three people had recently died and the whole community had come together to celebrate their life with music, food and drink. When you listen to the lyrics of Green, Green Grass, it now takes on a new meaning. He went on to tell the audience that on the day that he dies, he hopes his fans to have a similar festival to celebrate his life! He deliberately roused the crowd by stating he was visiting Manchester on the next leg of his tour. After the boos died down, he went onto say, ‘i had to start with the best and we all know Liverpool is the best! – endearing him further to the crowd who were never offside in the first place. They took him to their hearts immediately.
Ezra has come a long way since appearing on the Introducing stage at Glastonbury in 2013 and later, supporting Robert Plant at the Glastonbury Extravaganza.In 2014. 2015 built on Ezra’s success and profile when he was nominated for four Brit Awards: Best British Album, Best British Male Solo Artist, Best British Single, and British Breakthrough Artist.
Ezra is amazing live! He sounds exactly like his songs on the radio. He had no gimmicks, just simple, raw talent. His hard work has paid off and he now claims the ultimate prize of being a revered and respected artist that oozes talent. This combined with his pleasant dispotion makes him an artist that should be catapulted to fame. Catch him on this or the next tour. You won’t be disappointed.
Set List: Tiger Lily, Casio, Get Away, Gold Rush, Pretty Shiny People, Barcelona, A Dark Night, Hold My Girl, Sweetest Human Being, In the Morning, MacMillan, Green Green Grass, Paradise, Blame It On Me.
Encore: Dance All Over Me, Shotgun
Nature poetry. For too long, it’s been the domain of soft-focus sentimentality: predictable scenes of meadows, rivers, and, yes, even gliding gulls.
As 2024 draws to a close, it’s impossible not to marvel at how much has been accomplished in just one year. This
Call for Submissions: Glow: City at Night Poems The Broken Spine is excited to announce that submissions for our latest slimline anthology,
The Broken Spine is a poetry and arts collective proudly published on the coastal edge of North-West England. Founded in 2019 by Alan Parry and Paul Robert Mullen – two school friends reunited after twenty years through a mutual love of poetry.
