Richard Hawley

Richard Hawley

Richard Hawley headlined the Summer Series at Somerset House, London, last night (14.07.13).

The singer-songwriter performed a set leaning heavily on his breakthrough album, 'Standing at the Sky's Edge' - released last year - as the sun set behind him.

The show opened with the dark and brooding title track from that album, followed by 'Don't Stare at the Sun', which Richard explained he got the idea for while he was under the influence of psychedelic drugs.

He said: "This song is about flying a kite with my youngest son. Which may seem like a boring premise. What made it interesting was I was off me head on f***ing acid. Flying kites on acid is great. Don't tell anyone."

Richard also delved further into his back catalogue, performing fan favourite 'Tonight The Streets Are Ours' before bringing on upright bass player Johnny Wood for a pair of rockabilly tracks, including 'Serious'.

Richard also joked with the crowd about the prices of beer in London, compared to his native Sheffield.

He said: "Thank you for being here. I can't believe there are... so many of you. When we started out we played to, no one.

"You being here makes me feel not quite as lonely, I might buy you a beer later. Mind you there about a tenner [£10 each] aren't they, I did say one. I'll have one beer and 5,000 straws then."

Richard and his band then played some of their more psychedelic numbers, including 'The Ocean', 'Leave Your Body Behind You' and 'Down in the Woods'.

The Summer Series at Somerset House with American Express is a unique urban music festival in one of London's most spectacular live music settings. The Summer Series is just one example of the enriched experiences available to American Express Cardmembers at some of the UK's most sought after entertainment events. For more information on the service American Express offers Cardmembers, visit amex.co.uk/potential


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