Cake, candles and a crowd singing Happy Birthday – clearly this was not an ordinary gig for shooting star Saint Raymond on Sunday, 30 March 2014 at a sold out Joiners. Supported by a stomping yet soulful Daniel James and an extremely pumped up The Mispers, Indie singer/songwriter Callum Burrows honoured Southampton by celebrating his 19th birthday with about 150 people.
First up was singer-songwriter Daniel James, an Irish lad with a guitar we just can hope and expect to see a lot more from, espcially since Zane Lowe from BBC Radio 1 has an eye, sorry, an ear on him, just like he had on Saint Raymond last year. ‘The Bridge‘, ‘A lonely man‘ and ‘The Stone and the Hollow‘ got me hooked from the very first second, with melancholic yet catchy melody you don’t forget.
It followed The Mispers, a band of five, and from the very first moment it was clear that this group was something special. Of course, there is quirky, energetic leadsinger Jack Balfour Scott, who owns the stage simply with his presence and his very distinctive voice, however, there is also petite, airy Hanna Van den Brul, a magigican on the violin. Together songs like ‘Emilie‘, ‘Brother‘, or ‘Coasts‘ stick out of the mass of Indie productions.
And then we have the main act of the evening, Saint Raymond. It was easy to forget that he had just turned 19 that day. He entered the stage like a pro, needing only a plain white t-shirt, black skinny jeans and his Hollowbody guitar to enchant the audience.
In his reportoire were, of course, the favourites from his previous two EPs Escapade and Young Blood, both released in 2013 and rocketed on Itunes, ‘Young Blood‘, ‘Bonfires‘, ‘Fall at your feet‘,’ The River‘, ‘Letting Go‘, ‘Thread‘ and ‘As we are now‘. But also two brand new songs ‘Brighter Days‘ and ‘Ghosts’ and also a new version of ‘Everything she wants‘ from his third EP Ghosts. The new songs do not disappoint. A bit of Bombay Bicycle Club, a bit of Bastille – but yet, it is Saint Raymond with his unique voice and catchy hooklines.
His first headline tour “Young Blood”, which had kicked off in Bristol two weeks ago might have come to an end for now, Saint Raymond however doesn’t put his feet up: his third EP “Ghosts” is on pre-order now. He will also be playing at a number of festivals this summer, including Liverpool Sound City, Live at Leeds, Brighton’s The Great Escape, Dot to Dot Nottingham, and more.
