Josh Collard is on a path to stardom. Of this there is little doubt. At his first ever headline show last night, the vintage/contemporary tones of his striking voice welcomed an over-full Camden Assembly with bewitching charisma and goosepimple-inducing potency.
Is it too much to say that Collard and his band brought tears to my eyes with their music? Because it would, hand on heart, be true. On ‘Blood Red’, on ‘Warrior Cry’, and in particular on the gut-wrenching ‘Merciless’ (“please don’t say it hurts more than this”) the preciseness of each sound creates an irresistible physical response. There are thrilling orgasms of guitar, just enough snaking bass, touches of percussion, and some excellent backing vocals (put together only a day before the show.) All of it is held high on the gilded cloud that is Josh Collard’s vocal: carnal and comforting, soulful and truthful.
His charisma further ensnares the crowd: his natural, calming stage-presence and his polite request for a glass of scotch are markers of an old-timey star. Entering the bar later on to greet those who came to see his debut headline show, his grace and charisma light up the dark surroundings.
On top of the Unholy tracklist, Collard performs the sensual ‘Ode’ - an early example of full-on sex guitar and soulful singing - and the charming ‘Sofa.’ Each song is a delight: the packed room receiving gorgeous spasms of a soul that feels too much with every new track.
On his debut album, we said that “[Unholy] is a slick, cogent debut that is near-perfect in its longing, retro-futuristic groove” and awarded it a 9/10. We don’t give scores to live shows, but if we did then this one would have scored a perfect ten.
