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.

Jared Leto of Thirty Seconds To Mars @ The O2 (Kalpesh Patel)

Thirty Seconds To Mars Announce ‘A Beautiful Lie vs This Is War’ 2027 Arena Tour

Alt-rock giants Thirty Seconds To Mars have announced a major 2027 UK & Ireland arena run as part of their newly revealed A Beautiful Lie vs This Is War tour, a celebration of two of the band’s most defining albums.

Claudi-Mariee (Press)

Claudi-Mariee Stakes Her Claim With Striking New Single ‘Ransom’

Rising UK R&B/pop talent Claudi-Mariee continues her ascent with the release of her powerful new single Ransom, a track that positions the 20-year-old as one of the most compelling new voices emerging from the UK scene.

Roger Sanchez (Press)

Roger Sanchez Returns With First Album In 20 Years ‘Spectrum’ And New Single ‘Temptation’

House music pioneer Roger Sanchez has announced his long-awaited return with Spectrum, his first studio album in two decades, set for release on 5th June.

Seafret (Nat Michele)

Seafret Celebrate A Decade Of ‘Tell Me It’s Real’ With Anniversary Vinyl And UK Tour

Hull duo Seafret are marking ten years since the release of their breakthrough debut album Tell Me It’s Real with a special anniversary edition, arriving on 22nd May—and for the first time ever, the record will be pressed on vinyl.

Westislonely (Press)

Westislonely Unleashes Dark Desire On New Single ‘Show Me A God’

Rising alt-rock provocateur West Lomas – AKA Westislonely – returns with a striking new single, Show Me A God, marking her first release of the year and signalling a bold shift in both sound and intent.

Noah Kahan @ BST Hyde Park 2025 (Kalpesh Patel)

Noah Kahan Announces Major UK & Ireland Arena Run As ‘The Great Divide’ Era Begins

Vermont-born singer-songwriter Noah Kahan has announced a major UK & Ireland arena run as part of his global Great Divide Tour, adding to an already huge slate of European, Australian and New Zealand dates following his recent US stadium shows.

Alex Amen (Jackie Domi)

Alex Amen Announces Debut Album ‘Sun Of Amen’ And Shares Reflective New Single ‘Diamonds’

Emerging Americana voice Alex Amen has announced his debut album Sun Of Amen, set for release on 12th June, alongside the unveiling of his new single Diamonds.

SOPHIE SHREDZ (Tabs Camp)

Sophie Shredz Unleashes Debut EP ‘Distortionist’ In A Blast Of Hyperpop Chaos

Rising alt-pop disruptor SOPHIE SHREDZ has arrived with a bold statement of intent, dropping her debut EP DISTORTIONIST—a high-voltage introduction that blurs the lines between hyperpop, grunge and club culture.

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This

Share Thing