Live Review: Al Stewart @ Fairfield Halls.

by | Oct 25, 2013

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

It is always nice to photograph your heroes and Al Stewart is one of mine. The people at Fairfield Halls in Croydon made it all possible with their bend over backwards care, thought and great customer service.

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

Al has been around since the mid 1960’s when he got his first break appearing on a BBC TV folk music show, back in the day when the UK had only one TV channel. His early records made him more than a folk icon and he found himself cast as a historical balladeer.

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

This style set him apart from his contemporaries, Cat Stevens, Roy Harper and even Paul Simon with whom he once shared a flat. His set at the Fairfield Halls was a low key affair, the night before at the Royal Albert Hall he had a big band and played a strict set list, here he played what he wanted in an all acoustic fashion mixing Time Passages and On The Border with not oft performed early songs like You Should Have Listened To Al.

Al Stewart live and acoustic. Fairfield Halls, Croydon. (Simon Jay Price)

Al went on to enlarge his sound and add more and more players to his band which helped give him the big FM radio hits in the USA with songs like Time Passages, Year of the Cat and Song On The Radio.

[photoshelter-gallery g_id=”G0000r1l404AmFyI” g_name=”Al-Stewart” f_show_caption=”t” f_show_slidenum=”t” img_title=”casc” pho_credit=”iptc” f_link=”t” f_enable_embed_btn=”t” f_send_to_friend_btn=”t” f_fullscreen=”t” f_show_watermark=”t” f_htmllinks=”t” f_mtrx=”t” fsvis=”f” width=”600″ height=”450″ f_constrain=”t” bgcolor=”#ffffff” bgtrans=”t” btype=”new” bcolor=”#CCCCCC” crop=”f” twoup=”t” trans=”flip” tbs=”4000″ f_ap=”t” linkdest=”c” f_topbar=”f” f_bbar=”f” f_bbarbig=”” f_smooth=”f” f_up=”f” target=”_self” ]

Rocky Rockshot. 24th October 2013. Croydon.

The Avett Brothers + Mike Patton (Crackerfarm)

The Avett Brothers Team Up With Mike Patton For Surprise Album As AVTT/PTTN

In one of the year’s most unexpected and electrifying collaborations, The Avett Brothers have joined forces with Mike...
She Made Me Do It (Myura Amara)

She Made Me Do It Return With ‘Pulverised’ EP

London-based post-punk electro-rock trio She Made Me Do It have announced the release of their brand-new EP...
GeeJay (Phoebe Nightingale)

GeeJay Share New Track ‘Murder’ And Announce Biggest Headline Show To Date

North London soul-pop duo GeeJay have unveiled their brand new track Murder and announced details of their biggest...
YES (Gottlieb Bros.)

YES Announce 2026 UK Tour Celebrating ‘Fragile’

Progressive rock legends YES have announced their return to the UK with a nine-date tour in spring 2026, following the...
Hannah McFarland (Chris Ashlee)

“It Has Been a Whirlwind” — But Hannah McFarland Is Just Getting Started

Alabama country singer Hannah McFarland has barely had a chance to catch her breath. Since releasing her Broken Hearts EP in February, her career has skyrocketed with opportunities she once only dreamed of.

Lewis Capaldi @ Glastonbury Festival 2023 (Kalpesh Patel)

BST Hyde Park 2026 Kicks Off With Garth Brooks And Lewis Capaldi As First Headliners

BST Hyde Park has announced the first two headliners for its 2026 edition, setting the stage for another blockbuster...
Blondshell @ Electric Brixton (Kalpesh Patel)

Blondshell Brings Electric Brixton To Boil On First Night Of London Double-Header

Sabrina Teitelbaum — better known as Blondshell — has built her reputation on raw honesty and songs that cut deep, and...
Ash @ Scala (Kalpesh Patel)

Ash Light Up Scala & Celebrate Ad Astra With Career-Spanning Set And Graham Coxon Collaboration

There was a palpable sense of anticipation outside North London venue Scala on Wednesday night as Ash returned for the...

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing