Calum Scott
23rd October 2018
Powerstation, Auckland, New Zealand.
Review by Sarah Kidd. Photography by Chris Zwaagdyk.
Reality talent shows have been haunting our television sets for almost two decades now and for many contestants they lead to nothing but broken dreams – but for Calum Scott they were a ticket to the world. Appearing on Britain’s Got Talent three years ago thanks to his sister’s encouragement, Scott floored audiences across the globe with his raw and emotional rendition of Robyn’s ‘Dancing on my Own’.
While he may not have won the show, he did win thousands of hearts, and soon became a household name.
Excitedly packing out Auckland’s Powerstation it was evidently clear that the Calum Scott phenomenon had well and truly reached New Zealand as fans of varying ages intently watched the stage for the first sign of the man himself. Entering in a simple (almost) completely unbuttoned black silk shirt, and the crowd were already applauding Scott before he had managed to utter a single word. Accompanied by his four-piece band the young ‘northern lad’ would soon deliver a set that was honest as it was humorous, Scott genuinely creating a bond with all who were present.
From the upbeat tempo of opening track ‘Come Back Home’ to the gentle sway of ‘Stop Myself (Only Human)’ whose chorus line can’t help but remind you of ‘Human’ by The Human League – Scott and his band took fans on just over an hour long journey through songs fraught with personal meaning, many of them painting important scenes from his life to date. Having only just released his debut album ‘Only Human’ this year, Scott is still building a back catalogue from which to draw from; and while musically the structure to many of his songs are simplistically similar, it is the lyrical content and sheer passion with which he delivers them that has seen Scott gain such a loyal following in a very short amount of time.
From stand out single ‘You are the Reason’ written about his grandmother – Scott taking the chance this evening to remind everyone that love is what binds us all together – to ‘No Matter What’ a deeply intimate tale about Scott coming out to his parents and their loving acceptance of who he is as a person, there were often a few tears quickly being swiped from cheeks. Even Scott himself was almost overcome with emotion, momentarily stepping to the back of the stage to regain his composure before once again beaming at the crowd before him while complimenting them on their singing.
Both a fan of Michael Jackson and Bob Dylan, Scott delivered his cover of the Dylan track ‘Not Dark Yet’ with nothing more than an acoustic guitar to accompany him. And it was at this point in the show that one could truly stand back and appreciate the sheer quality of Scott’s vocal range and its delicacies, the control he has, knowing just where to push through and when to reel it back in.
Following each song, the crowd would praise Scott more loudly than the last, an act that obviously got to Scott as he bashfully smiled and would momentarily hide his face in his hands before thanking his fans profusely. Here was a man that looked like he was still in a mild state of disbelief that this was indeed his life now.
All too soon it was time for Scott to bid the crowd farewell; announcing that it was his last song they all groaned at which he laughed. “No smoke and mirrors here” he stated, alluding to the fact that he would indeed be coming back out momentarily for an encore – besides which he had not yet delivered the song that had started it all. Allowing the audience the chance to chant “Calum!” repeatedly at full volume he once again appeared back on stage, the energy and light emanating from him almost dazzling.
‘If our love is wrong’ was heart-breaking yet it’s purpose was to provide strength which it did to the many present tenfold, Scott often stating throughout his short career that he wants his music to be like the soundtrack to people’s lives – both the “good times and the bad”. But it was his rendition of ‘Dancing on my own” that stole the show, the moment even too much for the young security guard in the pit who burst into song, serenading the young women before him much to their delight; voices throughout the venue rose in unison with Scott, it was a moment of pure magic.
With performances such as these expect to see Calum Scott selling out arenas in the not too distant future.
Were you there at the Powerstation for this packed-out pop gig? Or have you seen Calum Scott perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!
Setlist:
- Come Back Home
- Stop Myself (Only Human)
- Rhythm Inside
- You Are The Reason
- Good To You
- Not Dark Yet [Bob Dylan cover]
- Hotel Room
- No Matter What
- Sore Eyes
- What I Miss Most
- Give Me Something
- If Our Love Is Wrong [encore]
- Dancing On My Own [Robyn cover] [encore]
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