As Richard Hawley walks on to the stage, a Sheffield brutalist monolith, the Moore Street electricity substation, is projected on a backdrop behind him. During a moving, sweeping version of Coles Corner he holds up a sign reading “Welcome to Sheffield” to huge roars from the crowd. He dedicates Don’t Stare at the Sun to his two sons, who are on top of pals’ shoulders in the audience, arms entangled, singing along to their dad’s music. He sings quiet, delicate songs that were written on dog walks in local parks and have since been spun into the hugely acclaimed musical Standing at the Sky’s Edge, set in another Sheffield brutalist monolith, Park Hill. There is an unquestionably celebratory, and very Sheffield, mood in the air tonight for the endlessly proud local as he plays his biggest ever home town show in the city – headlining the opening night of a four-day event at a venue that holds 10,000 people.
It’s somewhat ironic that the song Standing at the Sky’s Edge is now synonymous with catchy singalong for tourists in the West End, as it unfurls with a slow-building, almost western desert rock snarl. It’s a dark, brooding, heavy song rooted in political turmoil, and it is delivered with real bite from his band. Meanwhile Open Up Your Door projects Hawley’s voice at its best, coated with a rich, enveloping warmth and resonance.
“I hope these words come true,” he says as he introduces Tonight the Streets Are Ours, which he calls a celebration of the exit of “those Tory fuckers” and inspires a rousing cheer and sing-along. The pro-Sheffield sentiment remains strong throughout, with new song People being one of Hawley’s most open-hearted love letters to the city. He delivers it with real tenderness and intimacy, as though in the back room of one of his favourite locals. Things then end on an electric turn, with a crunchy, punchy rendition of Heart of Oak seeing out the night.
It’s clearly been a moment for Hawley. “We’ve made something special here tonight,” he says. “I’ll see you all in the park walking the dogs.”
