You might remember us posting about Stu Larsen a few weeks back… The super likeable OZ singer played a great show at Papiersaal in Zurich this week. Happy to have been there. But let’s start from the beginning!
Oh and even better, right before the show started I had the opportunity to sit down with Stu for a short interview. The interview will hopefully be online by the end of this week. We’ll definitely let you know when it’s out.
Tim Hart as Support Act
A little after 8pm Tim Hart got up on stage. He’s not just another musician, him and Stu actually go way back! He goes ahead and plays a couple of songs to get the crowd warmed up. Not an easy task to be honest. Even though there were a bunch of people, the crowd was still a bit… Well, let’s say “controlled“. Unfortunately a quite normal thing for (most) Swiss shows. Tim is not only a solo act, he is also a member of the Australian band Boy & Bear…
It’s time for Stu Larsen
Stu made his way up on stage just a little after 9pm. While the last couple of people squeezed their way through to the back of the room, the Oz singer already picked up his guitar and started playing… Even though most of his songs are rather slow and quiet, the musician with the long blond hair had the room filled up with a very special kind of energy. The crowd was still a bit shy, but you could see and feel how that changed gradually. Obviously this wasn’t a rock concert and people wouldn’t start going wild, but there are different kinds of moods and phases that you can see happening throughout the show.
Every now and then Stu would tell us little stories about his songs and how they came about. The intro to his newest single „Chicago Song“ was especially interesting, as he told us how he started naming his guitars after the places he bought them in. So that being said, we were introduced to his two guitars “South Melbourne” and “Brisbane” 🙂 Oh and btw, “Chicago Song” is not about a girl but about that guitar he bought in… You guessed right, in Chicago!
And then there were 3 guys up on stage
You can see that Stu feels comfortable on stage. The way he interacts with the audience and tells his stories, just being his charming self. It’s the best thing to watch people do what they love! My personal highlight was when he sang „Thirteen Sad Farewells“ – one of my favorite songs of his. It’s actually a very sad song, but the catchy melodies and the way he performs it, makes the song just so incredibly beautiful. Then brought Tim back on stage… Well, not just Tim… We were lucky enough to have Tim’s brother Jon here too. He quickly came over from Paris, where he’s staying at the moment. So suddenly there were 3 talented singers up on Papiersaal’s stage. Btw, Tim’s brother Jon is also a member of Boy & Bear – what a talented family!
While Jon only stayed for a song, Tim stayed up on stage and accompanied Stu a bit longer. My heart then almost skipped a beat when they both started to sing Ray LaMontagnes “Jolene”. What a great song! Also, even though Tim and Stu might have different voices, they sound great together! Their voices blend beautifully.
Stu Larsen Live? Hell yeah! I’ll be back!
As usual, even the coolest shows do come to an end at some point. But each and every time I’m going home with a smile on my face and memories that no one can take away from me. Even though I knew Stu and his music before, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the gig to be honest. But let me tell you, I was not disappointed at all. It was a wonderful evening with great friends, amazing music and a lot of goosebumps :). One thing is for sure, when Stu comes back, I’ll be the first one to get a ticket!
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