“I was having a massive panic before I went on stage,” the softly-spoken figure of Isaac Gracie tells this East London crowd before taking a sip of his gin and tonic. The singer has just released his self-titled debut record and completed a string of tour dates around the UK, with the culmination being tonight inside the illustrious setting of Hackney Empire.
The interior is as intricate as the emotions conveyed in Gracie’s lyricism, an observation which is prominent from poignant opener ‘All In My Mind’ as he croons, “All the things I’m doing to myself, digging holes in my brain trying to hide away.”
In between songs there are overheard murmurs from the older members of the crowd comparing the singer to the late Tom Petty, and the inclusion of ‘I Shall Be Released’, a Bob Dylan cover, in the set makes it easy to trace those who have influenced Isaac on his path to such a stunning debut album. The musician is chatty as he glides seamlessly from one track to the next, owning the sparse stage set up of himself, a drummer and bassist - the captivating essence exuded by Gracie mirroring that of his songwriting style which he outlined to Gigwise earlier this year.
“I should come to Hackney more often,” he gushes, thanking the crowd for their presence, “I honestly don’t want this to end.” During the introduction of ‘Love (Ain’t Always So Good)’ he tells us how all of his fingers “exploded” on one night of the tour, making him put down his guitar which is something he has now become accustomed to for this track.
‘The Death Of You & I’ receives an uncharacteristically rapturous reaction considering at most moments during the show you could hear a pin drop, the audience transfixed by Gracie’s breathtaking performance whilst ‘Running On Empty’ is a highlight as the singer experiments with a more upbeat tempo.
By way of an encore Isaac asks Hackney Empire what they would like to hear, thus leading to a stunning rendition of ‘Darkness Of The Day’ and ‘Last Words’ - which garners the biggest crowd sing-a-long of the night. Few solo artists have the vigour to command such a presence in a venue like this, but there's no issues for Isaac here.
