By Sara Valle-Martínez
The Scottish boy with an Italian name is back!
After eight years of radio silence, Paolo Nutini announced he would be part of the line-up for different UK festivals like TRSNMT in Scotland and the legendary Knebworth, then he announced extra dates in Spain, Italy, France… And just a few days after a series of intimate shows was booked, he dropped two new songs.
That’s when people knew it: Paolo Nutini is back for good.
“It felt amazing seeing Paolo after such a long, long time. I’ve been following him since the age of seven, after being introduced by my parents,” said Jac Stoddard, 20, a full-time fashion promotion student living in London.
Tickets went on sale a few days before the concerts, which started in Sheffield before landing in London in 100 Club, right in the heart of Oxford Street.
100 Club is iconic – besides being the oldest independent venue worldwide, it is the spiritual home of the punk movement. It has hosted bands like the Sex Pistols, Oasis, or Muse.
Now, Paolo Nutini fans will remember it as the place where they listened to his new songs for the very first time.
“The new album going to be amazing. It came as a surprise; all of a sudden!” said Tatiana Barone, 34, who works in marketing. “I already have a couple songs that I love, like the two new singles and one called Acid Eyes.”
The singer-songwriter’s fourth studio album comes out next July 1. Produced by Nutini himself, Dani Castelar, and Gavin Fitzjohn, Last Night in the Bittersweet is a 70-minute epic that spans the distance from classic rock to post-punk to hypnotic Krautrock, an experimental rock genre that developed in Germany.
Lose It, with its insistent Motorik rhythms raw beats, and Through the Echoes, which feels like an instant timeless classic, are the two first songs off the highly anticipated album. They are already available in all streaming platforms.
Acid Eyes, Afterneath, Petrified in Love, Radio, Desperation, Shine a Light and Writer are some of the new songs off the new album Nutini played for enthusiastic fans.
Nutini also played some of the oldies that fans have waited to experience live again: Candy, Pencil Full of Lead and Coming Up Easy, amongst other hits. The crowd sang the lyrics, he joked between songs, drinks came and went and song after song, the night came to a halt. All in all, he left people speechless all over again.
His vocal prowess and heartfelt lyrics are intact after all these years. Nutini can serenade a room full of people while looking like he’s alone in his bedroom, headphones on, makeshift microphone in hand, eyes closed, and vocal cords pulsating.
It doesn’t come as a surprise that he actually sings with his eyes closed, like he’s trying to forget people are staring and singing back; his soul on display as he gifts the audience a top-notch performance full of significance and good vibes.
“Like all his other music, I found it’s a perfect balance between sadness and happiness or a lot of energy and relaxation,” added Stoddard. “Overall, the experience was truly magical as you can hear how much the music means to Paolo in his voice and it could send a shiver down anyone’s spine.”
Over eight years have passed since Nutini released his critically acclaimed record, with gems like Iron Sky, a political song that features Charlie Chaplin’s speech from The Great Dictator; or Better Man, a ballad he wrote for his sister.
The new songs have a lot in store, with lyrics that feel like a private love letter; others that will inspire even those who were born with two left feet to dance, and melodies that are bound to become anthems like Candy did.
So, Paolo Nutini is back, fans are happy and the new record comes out next July 1. Who’s ready to Lose It for a little while?
Link to published story: https://verve-lmsu.com/paolo-nutini-nothing-bittersweet-about-the-singer-songwriters-return/
Sara Valle-Martínez 