Will Young, Friday, 15 November, St George’s Church, Kemp Town, Brighton
Will Young took on an unusual venue in Brighton as part of his latest tour, filling our local church with true fans. It was a performance where there was nowhere to hide, and he didn’t need one either.
Proving himself an adept performer, the show starts with several of his more recent singles taken from the 2021 Crying On The Bathroom Floor album, and instantly we know he was comfortable with himself and happy to be there.
He’s riffing with the audience, throwing in random lyrics and effortlessly launching into complex vocals.
The only other person on the stage is his pianist, Christian Dinh Gulino, an extremely talented man who has complete control over the volume control, swelling and paring back to allow Young’s voice to shine.
The connection between them is amazing and we can tell they have total trust between them.
Young tells us he is now so old he has to put many of his songs into medleys to fit them all in, and presents a number of hugely successful hits in quick succession.
He reclaims songs like Light My Fire and Evergreen, cover versions that feel more like personally penned lyrics and creates totally new versions of The Game and Jealousy, the songs twisted away from their original with syncopated accompaniments and jazz piano riffs. The sound is perfect and the audience silent in response.
Throughout the evening, he’s chatting with us. There are questions from the audience with considered answers, one fan wins a free tea-towel and gets rewarded with a hug, and he approves of the flooring and lights which might help him complete his disastrous home renovation. We love him a little bit more each time.
It feels like he was always meant to be in this style of venue, sitting on a stool in his baggy cardigan and trade mark clumpy shoes, pouring out his heart in song. He brought me to tears on more than one occasion, received a standing ovation and reminded us just how good he is. A privilege to attend.
My husband and I saw him perform at The Town Hall, Cheltenham and he was just as good. His voice is, as I remember 20 years ago, fabulous, his repour with the pianist is almost tangible and together they were quite brilliant. A great night, thank you.
We saw Will perform in Falmouth Cornwall; everything said is so. His voice is as good as ever.