Music review: Hamish Hawk, St Luke's. Glasgow

Hamish Hawk’s bold indie pop missives have clearly crossed over and made a connection, writes Fiona Shepherd

Hamish Hawk, St Luke’s, Glasgow ****

For once, erudite Edinburgh songsmith Hamish Hawk appeared lost for words as he lapped up the delighted response from his audience.

“It's been an absolute…I don't know what it's been," he ventured. But whatever it was, Hawk would be entirely justified in feeling he has arrived as an artist.

Hamish Hawk

His songs – bold indie pop missives boasting couplets to conjure with – have clearly crossed over and made a connection.

He has hit a rich seam over the last couple of years. New album Angel Numbers is amix of deadly earnestness and impish wit and, as a performer, Hawk (real name, by the way) is booming of voice and big of stage presence, whether gadding around on stage to the exultant title track or helming the slowburn Grey Seals.

There are echoes of Morrissey, even Jim Kerr, in his expression but he can rein it in effectively too, performing solo acoustic number Catherine Opens a Window, a nostalgic meditation on kids’ games, and duetting with support act Lizzie Reid on the soft Americana-flavoured Rest & Veneers.

His band were in full flow for a new as-yet-unrecorded song, the flamboyant, flirtatious, Suede-like You Can Film Me. As they hit the home straight with "golden oldie” Calls to Tiree and Money, there was no point breaking the momentum to return for an encore – “we're going to give it all to you immediately,” said Hawk.

The Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion, 1973 – catchier than you might think – went down a treat, especially its germane line about a Glaswegian chapel. There was a pulpit just to stage right but Hawk did his testifying front and centre, letting loose over the galloping beat of Talking Heads’ Thank You For Sending Me An Angel and the wired, punky blowout of Caterpillar to finish.

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