City and Colour rose to prominence when social media was on the ascendant.
One year after Facebook launched, AlexisOnfire’s Dallas Green began releasing songs under the name of City and Colour (an allusion to his first and last name) on the internet for fans to download.
When Tumblr landed two years later in 2005, his swooning ballads – sat atop creative chord progressions – provided the perfect backdrop to schmaltzy posts of “emo lovers” holding hands.
Make no mistake: Green’s plaintive melodies and deft lyrics left no doubt that he’s a serious artist. But nowadays it’s genuinely hard to determine the shelf life of a musician who was originally a product of the digital age.
These doubts were immediately dispelled the moment Green took to the stage at London’s 02 Shepherd’s Bush Empire on November 2, 2023.
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The City and Colour frontman’s dazzling performance not only demonstrated his enduring appeal: it proved he’s more needed than ever.
Taking to the stage in a matching floral outfit (yes, you heard that right), the singer set the scene for a night of blissful escapism.
Green’s flamboyant number juxtaposed with the humility of his opening track Meant to Be, a meditation on loss from his latest album The Love Still Held Me Near.
That emotional song promised a night of feeling. And boy, did he deliver.
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Interspersing new songs with classics such as We Found Each Other in the Dark, Green cast a spell over the audience with his softly powerful vocals.
The above oxymoron is deliberate because it contains an oft-overlooked observation about the City and Colour frontman: what sets him apart from other artists is his impressive ability to stay in control while singing in such a high range.
Lesser musicians would – and do – struggle to perform such a high-wire act in a live venue, but Green makes it look easy.
Another note of praise from the evening was Green’s subtle yet compassionate messaging.
The night took place as war rages in Ukraine and the Middle East but the singer resisted the temptation to serve up platitudes or pontifications, opting instead for the simple refrain: “Be kind to one another” as his music proceeded to massage the soul.
A night of rapture was duly rounded off with such classics as The Girl and Comin’ Home, leaving fans with a warm, fuzzy feeling as they emerged from the venue.
Green, thank you for providing a little Hope for Now.
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