Hozier, Hydro Glasgow, 11th December 2023
with The Last Dinner Party
When Child1 asked if she could get a gig ticket for her birthday, I agreed, then braced myself for what she might drag me along to. Granted, our last (first) gig outing wasn’t too bad. Although our tastes do converge a fair bit, she has such varied interests and is discovering new (sometimes old) bands all the time, it could well have been anything from 80s revival to the next hot young things.
It was neither, it was Hozier. Yep, the guy from the ‘Church’ song. I was surprised, but she was certain. I had assumed, not having heard from him in about 10 years, that if he was still going he had been languishing somewhere on Radio2 and might still have a small band of middle aged women followers. It turns out he has quite the fanbase among younger people. The 20 year old students I work with were very excited about a gig on Glasgow Green next year. I was still somewhat baffled, but bought the tickets - to the Hydro no less - and Child1 was happy.
She had to wait all the way from her birthday in July until December to get her present, but thankfully she was still keen, so after younger sister was dropped at her dad’s for the night, we ventured into town. She had requested standing tickets so we made our way into the venue to find a good spot. I have been to a couple of gigs at the Hydro before, but for cost/old lady reasons I’d opted for a seat both times, so this was my first time down on the floor. We started off midway back, slightly to the right as we faced the stage.
As we arrived, the support band were already on. I hadn’t paid attention beforehand as to who it was going to be, but it turned out to be The Last Dinner Party. I recognised the name from the radio, they seem to be getting a good airing on BBC 6Music. They were very impressive. Energetic, lively and with good catchy, dancey indie rock tunes. I was surprised to find out later that they have only been playing together for a couple of years, they exuded confidence and purpose in what they were doing. The lead singer wore a bright red ballgown type affair and was a visually commanding presence on the stage, as well as an impressive singer and front person. Their set was very enjoyable and I’d be keen to see them again.
During the break we amused ourselves trying to locate Child1’s friends in the seated areas by way of shapes drawn with phone torches and by playing audience tetris, moving into any open space that appeared in front of us. We noted that the crowd were predominantly female. We were made acutely aware of this when Hozier took to the stage and the screaming started.
Despite our shuffling forward during the break, we were still nowhere near the front and so had a terrible view of the stage. Well, for the first few songs I had a great view of one of the backing singers/tambourine player. It wasn’t until 5 songs in that I caught a glimpse of actual Hozier, then he was gone again. There were 2 big screens on either side of the stage showing some of the action and a large screen behind which occasionally showed images from on stage, but was mostly playing other video/graphics.
Despite meaning to, I never quite got round to listening to any of his work before the gig, so I went in literally knowing That One Song. There may have been other people there present in my boat but you’d never know it, each song was met with enthusiastic cheers and screams and those around us sang along every word. It was clear that the songs meant a lot to people. There was a fair amount of tears being shed, groups of friends exchanged meaningful looks as they sang and swayed together, couples were delighted when their song was played.
Hozier is undoubtedly a charismatic personality, a powerful singer and a captivating performer. I stated to understand why he has such a following and can fill venues like the Hydro. He has a quiet presence, minimal movement yet he draws you in and makes you pay attention. He has a simmering intensity that reminded me of Tom Smith from Editors, and, well, who doesn’t love an Irish accent? I was almost ready to join his Radio2 middle-aged woman fan club, although I’m still not quite sure why he is so popular among the young ones.
I did feel like the pace of things was on the slow side. I think he has some upbeat songs, but it seemed like we got a lot of more sedate numbers. The crowd was energised and it would have been nice to move around and dance a bit rather than just standing still nodding appreciatively. Towards the end, after standing for more than 2 hours my back was aching and my legs were seizing up, I was begging for a more up tempo song and regretting not having an old lady seat.
Saying that, at least his songs are about something, I appreciate that, even if the something is, apparently roadkill…? His preamble explanations of the songs about living in a cold, wet place were poetic and beautiful and very relatable to the Glasgow audience.
Hozier doesn’t travel light. I think there was around 9 members of his band, including backing singers and small string section. He did introduce them to us about 3 times, but to be honest there were so many I lost count even as he was going through them.
Sometimes I feel that gigs or concerts in these larger venues become shows - they have so many lights, screens and moving parts that each element has to be rehearsed and precisely timed, removing the opportunity for improvisation, reaction or spontaneity. This did have some of that - giant screens, weird tree things descending from the ceiling, but it felt like a show, not a show, if you know what I mean? It was interesting but not trying to be too impressive. Visuals enhanced the music without being an extravaganza by themselves.
I had wondered where the Church song would appear on the setlist. We got it at the end of the main set, before a decent 3 or 4 song encore, which felt about right. Obviously the place started jumping at that point, and Hozier himself became a lot more lively - guitar aside, mic in hand, roaming free up and down the stage. As much as I had enjoyed the set thus far, I would have much preferred to see him more like this throughout. Come on Hoz, my man, write a couple more banging hits and we’ll have a proper gig!
Afterwards we filed out into the thankfully dry night, treated ourselves to some much-needed sustenance in the form of chips from the van strategically placed by the train station queue.
Hozier may have been an unexpected choice, but it turned out to be a good one. There aren’t many performers who can command large arenas like that and make everyone feel like they’re at a much more intimate gig. For a solo performer, he was generous with his band and backing singers, recognising their contributions and allowing them to shine alongside him.
I’m not sure if we’ll be rushing to get tickets to next year’s Glasgow Green concert, but I’d definitely be up for seeing him again. Child1 enjoyed her birthday gig, seeing bands with her is a lot of fun, and I’m excited to see who we’ll end up catching next.
