Venue
- Manchester Apollo (3.5K capacity)
- Audience suits genre
- They sing along to the music
- They show appreciation to the music/song/artist and band
- Pop/Rock
- The audience paid to see the artist specifically
- The audience are there in person
Communication
- Lewis is staring into the audience but closes his eyes a few times during the performance to show that he is feeling the music and really focusing on the lyrics of the song
- The guitarists look at one another throughout the performance to make sure they are keeping in time with each other
- At the beginning of the song/before the intro, Lewis is seen communicating with the drummer, he is also playing the guitar at this point, implying that they were communicating to keep Lewis in time with the other band members
- He stops at the beginning of the last chorus and signals for the audience to continue singing, he does this because it shows that the audience are enjoying the song, and he enjoys performing to them
- The audience cheer at the end and throughout to show their appreciation
- He doesn’t really talk to the audience (in the full set he goes back to start the next song)
Stage Presence
- Starts off with soft backlighting behind the band members, signalling that the song has started and that the build up is quite slow/low
- As the beat drops/the song kicks in, the spotlights swap between band members and the lighting becomes harsh. The lighting then softens as the first verse starts, so the lighting is showing the audience which parts of the song are slower compared to which ones are faster/have more of a beat
- Flashing lights
- The podiums that the band members are on also start flashing/lighting up with the beat
- Some images/words flash on the backdrop/screen behind the singer and band
- The lighting matches the music/beat
- The band are all wearing matching outfits, Lewis is also wearing a similar outfit to the band, implying that the band’s outfits have been chosen to match Lewis’ style
- Blue lighting shows the emotions of the song, as the lyrics are quite cold
- Lewis moves around the stage a little bit, mostly during the intro, but stays quite stationary for the remainder of the song as he is focused more on the music
- As the chorus begins, white lighting flashes with the beat
- Backdrop with song title ‘Fade’
- Letters slowly fade throughout the performance
Musical Competency
- The track as a whole is well arranged and tight; the band members know exactly what they are doing and they clearly know the songs very well. Their body language also shows that they are comfortable with performing, implying that they do it quite often
- The live performance is different to the original track:
- The original doesn’t have the intro
- The live version is a bit more rocky whereas the original is a lot more stripped back
- Dynamics
- The volume within the performance changes quite often throughout;
- Lower/quieter for the verses and bridge but quite loud for the intro and choruses, it then quietens down completely at the very end
- Lewis’ voice cracks quite a lot within the performance, which shows the authenticity of it
- Lewis always performs and records his music with the same band, so they will know the tracks inside and out, leading to a successful performance because they all know what they are doing as they have been working through the whole process of each song alongside Lewis
Why did I choose this performance?
I chose this performance because Lewis Capaldi is one of my favourite artists and I enjoy watching his performances. I also really like the intro of this track when it is performed live, and I prefer the live version over the original.
In my opinion, there are many aspects of this performance which make it successful; the stage layout means that each band member stands out individually, and it also allows more room for Lewis to move around and between them.
The band also work very well together, as Lewis has had the same band members for years, and has known most of them throughout his childhood. They all know exactly what they are doing both musically and when delivering a great performance.
Similarities/differences
- The original track is a lot more stripped back in comparison to the live performance
- The live performance definitely has much more of a dynamic range, the volume changes quite often throughout, whereas in the original it builds up (crescendo) and then stays the same for most of the song, apart from the final chorus
- The structure of the two are pretty much identical, the live version just has an added intro
- The live version sounds thicker than the original; although the same instruments are used within both, the live version seems to have more layers to it
What went well?
I covered all of the sections which needed to be included, and in some cases gave reasons why rather than just describing what we could already see in the video/performance.
How could I improve?
I need to talk slower, as I stumbled on my words quite a lot and had to restart my sentences. I also didn’t mention everything written on my powerpoint, as I rushed it a little bit, so there were points I could’ve elaborated on which I didn’t. I’m not a huge fan of presentations, so I was slightly nervous. Therefore, I need to improve on my confidence a bit more so that I don’t make the same mistakes next time.