Gracing the esteemed venue with his folk-tinged pop balladry, the acclaimed singer-songwriter delivered a headline showcase bursting with feeling and intricacy.
Photography by Bree May O’Hagan
Photography by Bree May O’Hagan
Alexandra Palace – or Ally Pally to us folk in the know – is a place renowned with icon moments in music. The latest of these came on Friday night, when Californian singer-songwriter Ryan Beatty delivered a performance both subtle and grand, raw and beautiful, to a hall bustling with adoring listeners.
The 28-year-old has, in the last year or so, reached new artistic and commercial heights, in large down to the release of his exceptional folk-tinged third record, Calico. The LP was released in April of last year but still feels fresh and exciting; clocking a tender runtime of 34 minutes, the album says a lot through a little. Cinematic, delicate and at times devastating, it cemented Beatty as one of the finest pop voices of his generation.
Photography by Bree May O’Hagan
One initial slight disappointment of the show came from a lack of live strings, as they are such a quintessential element of the recent record. However Beatty, his guitarist and pianist used the sparseness of their setup to their advantage, evoking a triangle of effortless chemistry, all fully intertwined with the sonic narrative they are constructing.
“My love of songwriting and singing is everything to me,” he muses to his transfixed audience, something clear through the tender immediacy of his performance. His unfathomable voice oozes feeling, each passing word feels like a shed of weight from the enormous emotion he is carrying.
Ending the night on a blissful high, the welcomed encore featured a gorgeous cover of Don McLean classic “Vincent” and a rousing rendition of his latest album’s standout “Little Faith”. All-in-all, Beatty’s foray onto the Ally Pally stage was a dazzling and wholesome occasion.
