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.

Matt Bellamy of Muse @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Muse Launch ‘The Wow! Signal’ With Space-Bound Reveal And New Single ‘Be With You’

Muse have officially ushered in a new era, announcing their tenth studio album The Wow! Signal alongside the release of its towering new single Be With You.

Self Esteem @ Hammersmith Apollo (Kalpesh Patel)

British Airways ARC Announces Opening Line-Up For New London Venue With Self Esteem Kicking Things Off

A brand-new chapter in London’s live music scene is set to begin this summer as British Airways ARC unveils its first wave of performers ahead of its official opening on 16th June.

A Place To Bury Strangers (Holger Nitschke)

A Place To Bury Strangers Share Reflective New Single ‘Where Are We Now’ Ahead Of ‘Rare And Deadly’ Release

New York noise-rock outfit A Place To Bury Strangers have unveiled their latest single Where Are We Now, the third preview of their forthcoming rarities collection Rare And Deadly, due out on 3rd April.

Bloodworm (Rachael Halaburda)

Bloodworm Announce Debut EP ‘Blood & Lust’ And Share Haunting New Single ‘Alone In Your Garden’

Nottingham trio Bloodworm have unveiled their brooding new single Alone In Your Garden alongside news of their debut EP Blood & Lust, set for release on 24th April.

Mathias Kom and Michael Cloud Duguay (Noah Bender)

Mathias Kom & Michael Cloud Duguay Share Expansive New Track ‘Old Fire’ Ahead Of ‘Closed City’ Release

Mathias Kom and Michael Cloud Duguay have unveiled Old Fire, the latest track from their forthcoming collaborative album Closed City, due for release on 27th March.

Widowspeak (Alexa Viscius)

Widowspeak Announce Seventh Album ‘Roses’ And Share Dreamy Lead Single ‘If You Change’

New York indie duo Widowspeak have announced their seventh studio album, Roses, set for release on 5th June. Alongside the announcement, the band have unveiled lead single If You Change, a track that captures their signature blend of hazy guitars and melancholic, timeless songwriting.

St. Vincent @ Royal Albert Hall (Andy Paradise)

St. Vincent Announces ‘Live In London!’ Album Capturing Landmark Royal Albert Hall Performance

St. Vincent has announced the release of Live In London!, a new digital album arriving on 20th March, capturing her acclaimed orchestral performance at the Royal Albert Hall.

Ed O'Brien (Steve Gullick)

Ed O’Brien Announces Second Solo Album ‘Blue Morpho’ And Shares Expansive Title Track

Ed O’Brien has announced details of his long-awaited second solo album, Blue Morpho, set for release on 22nd May 2026. Alongside the announcement, O’Brien has unveiled the album’s title track, offering a first glimpse into a deeply personal and transformative body of work.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing