Review: Alex Vargas Live @ Hoxton Square Bar & Kitchen 30.01.2018
The Danish singer, songwriter is someone I came across by chance a few years ago, and it was one of those situations where it was unexpected delight. Not only is he a great musician he seems like a decent guy you could hang out with down the pub.
I have this strange thing where whatever gig I'm going to I don't listen to any of the artists songs songs in the run up. I think it has something to do with wanting to be surprised and enjoy the music live, the similarities but also the differences to the recordings and the way the live music ripples through the crowd giving it this energy. I think it also has something to do with the time I watched Defying Gravity before actually seeing Wicked and the moment was somewhat tarnished. But that's a whole other tangent for another day.
Supported by new singer songwriter ARK, who has that in vibe deeper brooding tone to her voice (and who played a new song she'd written that I was really into and want to find when it's released), the stage was set. I was set and ready to rave.
The show started of softly, with just Alex and his guitar for Cohere album track Follow You, swiftly followed by old favorite Howl , and quite frankly could have continued that way for all I needed. He has this BEAUTIFUL voice, one that goes up and down the octaves, with this lovely tone but that then does 101 different vocal acrobatics and I could have listened to him and his guitar all night, but he wanted to put on a show. All eyes on him in the center of the ring...and they most definitely were, breaking into one of my favorite album tracks 7 Sins ( which you can listen to below), the show really kicked in.
Alex has this energy when he performs, like a conductor pulling all the strings, and he really cares about his music. You can see it, you can feel it. He gets very involved in what hes doing, what the band is doing and to creating the songs live as the gig went on supported by a million different sound effect buttons here there and everywhere around the stage allowing him to move and make music wherever he went. This brought so much life into the songs and versatility in the music where something like Tidal or Solid Ground could start off slow, simple and then grow into this dramatic rave before coming back down to that soft start and the fading ooo he's so fond of. Ending on a high note of Higher Lover brought the evening together so beautifully that I'm ready for more.
There's so much to his music, from the production to the lyrics to his voice, this was a gig that ticked all my boxes, and I'm already looking forward to the next time and the next time I see him live. I'm sure I'll be see you there because you're about to fall in love... Just saying
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