Review: David Gray at The Sage Gateshead

Dec 14 2009 by Barbara Hodgson, The Journal

IT seemed anybody who wasn’t out at an office party on Friday night was crammed into Hall One of The Sage.

Those who weren’t missed out big time because there had to be as much goodwill there as anywhere: David Gray didn’t ‘do festive’ but that he’s a man who knows how to have a good time was evident at his Sage debut. From the moment a screen curtain dropped to reveal the 41-year-old besuited Mancunian and his four band members were ready to rock.

And rock they did, packing power and body and soul into Gray’s crowd-pleaser greatest hits such as Babylon, This Year’s Love and You’re The World to Me as well as his new songs, like Full Steam which is about to be released as a single, against a snazzy backdrop of changing colours and lights.

The one-time big hitter may have fallen into the shadows for a spell since those chart-topping days but he made you forget he’d ever been away as, without slackening pace, he delivered hit after hit, reminding us of what a talent he is. Gray has a great voice – his vocals in Sail Away were just amazing.

Promising to “cram in as much as we can”, he did so for near two hours, switching between guitar and piano, with The One I Love, Be Mine and a hauntingly beautiful song he told us was written by him for a film but never used, Ain’t No Love. Tracks from latest album Fugitive included Jackdaw and that Full Steam which saw Gray collaborate with Annie Lennox.

Certainly none of these fans minded that Ms Lennox wasn’t there to sing her part – though it’s been hinted that she may indeed join Gray on some of his tour dates.

She missed a good night.