I arrived at the Sidney and Matilda around 7pm, to be greeted by the friendly security, who said that I could wait in the main bar. So, I had a drink until it was time to go in. The place had started to fill up, and Hook’s fans were having a beverage or two, chatting away, as they buzzed off the anticipation of what was billed to be a great evening of indie music in the venue’s new 300-capacity space.
There were three support acts, all of who did a great job in warming up the sold-out venue. These were Simon Peter Thompson, the highly regarded frontman of Sheffield band Alvarez Kings, who played an enjoyable acoustic set. The Hudares also put on a good show. LPMC, the main support, played their way through a great set of polished harmonious tunes.
After a 15-minute wait, the crowd now bustling with anticipation, as Robert Teppers classic from the Rocky soundtrack ‘There’s No Easy Way Out’ bellowed out from the speakers, were then treated to a short intro-video chronicling Hook’s return from a testing period in life to the beating heart of tonight’s gig. Soon the familiar tones of MGMT’s ‘Time to Pretend’ hit and Hook, with his band (Dave Howard, Kyle Sales, Ewan Knight and Matt Davey) by now already in position, sauntered onto the stage with an air of confidence that made the Oasis lads look like newbies.
Hook open with ‘This Feeling’ – an as-yet unrecorded song but a live staple!
The band moved through numbers of both original and a couple of covers in the early stages, including Blossoms’ ‘There’s a Reason Why’
They then performed single ‘Alone You Go’ – another great song to sing along to in a live setting, which was appreciated by the crowd who joined in with the chorus, hands in the air and cheering along.
Hook was also joined by additional band performers, Sammy Murdoch of Glass Rhino on backing vocals, James Wells on trumpet and Pat Tough on violin. This gave the performance the fullest sound I’ve seen from them yet live.
Also joining Hook, was guest performer and burgeoning local pop singer Bethany Grace, who came on to take lead vocals of ‘Be My Baby’ and the Amy Winehouse version of ‘Valerie’ before the band, with Hook back on vocals, merged into The Zutons version.
Mat then introduced songwriter, Paul Fletcher, onto the stage to help play along with new single ‘Won’t Let the World’ and also ‘Suspended Belief’ before moving onto a couple of songs from his days with Kartica, where he was joined on stage by ex-Kartica bandmate Sam Cotterill on lead guitar.
All in all they performed a stunning set of 17 songs, my favourite being ‘Runaway Road’, Mat’s debut single. In Mat’s words “The song is about gaining direction, and gathering the wind in your sails again.” I think it’s a wonderful piece of music, kicking off with a great guitar riff and introducing some nice melodic tones. It really resonates in a live performance and is definitely one of the crowd’s favourites.
It’s great hearing the ex-Kartica frontman making some noise again, and his vocals during the show resonate very well. Musically, there are splashes of Oasis and the Verve throughout, and the gig showcases his experience as a singer/songwriter, easily expressing meaning and a message behind songs.
The band members meld together to create a pleasing sonic harmony, a wall of sound, and looked to be enjoying themselves too. All together they looked great on stage; the overall performance was exceptional.
The band finished with a grand cover of Oasis’ ‘The Masterplan’ – the trumpet and violin added so much to this song in particular!
I managed to catch up with Mat after the show and he had this to say about the evening:
“This gig was a step up again from any I’ve done since returning and felt almost like a Kartica one again. I really went for it in terms of putting it together, both in an extended setlist sense and with additional performers. The guest and additional performers were amazing, pretty much all coming in at late notice, some without even a full rehearsal and it added such a great dynamic. It was a pleasure to play to that crowd in that venue. Lastly, my staple band members were great in both hours of preparation and delivery and ‘the camp’ had a great atmosphere all around. It was a night to remember!”
It was a great night, with a fantastic energy from the band and crowd alike. I predict that 2025 should be another belter of a year for Hook and his band. Maybe playing to bigger audiences, in different cities across the country. I have to recommend going to see Mat Hook perform especially if you are into the Britpop/90s guitar vibe, you will have a great time.
