Live Review: Paolo Nutini - Cardiff International Arena

PAOLO NUTINI

INTERNATIONAL ARENA
CARDIFF
04/11/2022

★★★★

Refusing to be shackled by his previous material Paolo Nutini battles against crowd expectations. Accompanied by a beautiful showcase of his latest album he eventually triumphs, despite at times, heavy resistance.

If it wasn’t clear to the sold-out Cardiff arena crowd from the outset, then it certainly is by the hour mark… Nutini is an artist, not a crowd-pleaser. That is not to say tonight is a bad performance, in fact, by all ways of measuring it is sublime. Nutini has never sounded in a finer voice, his accompanying band is simply impeccable and he’s arrived with a wonderful new album to perform. 

That, however, is where tonight's conflict lies. Nutini arrives shrouded in darkness, his voice screeching out akin to Robert Plant, on the brooding ‘Afterneath’. The only accompaniment is dialogue from Patricia Arquette’s character in Quentin Tarrantino’s 1993 movie ‘True Romance’ as she coos ‘You’re so cool’. As the track fades, he roars into the spoken-word Berlin punk influenced ‘Lose It’ which sees the arena burst into technicolour as swathes of psychedelic lights flood the stage. 

The first hour leans heavily on his current record ‘Last Night In The Bittersweet’. ‘Acid Eyes’ and ‘Stranded Words’ are slow beautiful burners that simmer with Nutini’s trademark juxtaposition of a soft/rough growl. ‘Scream’ and ‘Better Man’ from his previous record ‘Caustic Love’ are greeted with loving warmth, especially the delicately devastating romantic loathing of the latter. It marks the start of a quieter acoustic section that incorporates the fascinating ‘Heart Filled Up’ which slowly unfurls into an instrumental crescendo that sees Nutini combine synth pads and keys reminiscent of Bon Iver or even ‘Midnights’ era Coldplay. 

He returns to his guitar for a more brooding and sombre acoustic rendition of ‘One Day’ which coincides with Nutini’s first recognition of the night and of the evening's tense undercurrent. By this point, almost an hour into proceedings there are large swathes of the crowd noticeably restless. There are packs of chattering, murmurings and discontent at the evening's current pace and direction. What’s striking is that there is a clear divide between a faithful and respectful portion of the audience immersed in the evening clashing with the inebriated, rowdy restless. 

Like a slowly bubbling pot, Nutini’s discontent simmers. To the point, he uncharacteristically has to restart ‘One Day’ with a polite apology. Eventually, things boil over after the track's second attempt. A fed-up Nutini sighs and proceeds to directly challenge the audience with a remark along the lines of "Thank you for those of you listening, and for those who aren't, maybe let the others enjoy it, it's not getting any louder any time soon... oh well it's your night” he concludes. 

It is remarkable, both as a sharp display of his disapproval of certain areas of the arena and also because up to this point, Nutini has barely uttered a couple of full sentences to the audience.

Fascinatingly, it feels like a turning point in the evening. He launches into the beloved classic ‘Coming Up Easy’ which receives a raucous reaction from the crowd. This is then paired with the utterly beautiful ‘Through The Echoes’, a mesmerising moment. Whilst the lead single of his latest work, it feels like an instant classic and Nutini is reminiscent of figureheads Otis Redding and Jonny Cash in the way he captivates the audience, who are suddenly in full voice, especially during its transfixing bridge.

There is time towards the night's final act to revisit some of his classics, but with an added twist, they all sound almost unrecognisable. It would be perhaps naive for people to be surprised, as on his previous tour Nutini was no stranger to reinterpreting his former self. With his latest record taking such sharp inspiration from the seventies, however, it results in some wild reimaginings. ‘Pencil Full Of Lead’ is a spoken word ska remix bristling with intensity whilst a medley of ‘Jenny’, The Undertone’s ‘Teenage Kicks’ and ‘New Shoes’ could be almost considered glam-rock, bordering on metal as he screeches about putting on a pair of new shoes in a vastly different context to the original.

Once again, it is a brave and contentious decision judging by attendees outside and on social media but one that too has to be commended. It comes at a time when his latest material truly strikes that missing chord with the crowd. ‘Take Me Take Mine’ feels like a long-lost Motown cover, full of Aretha Franklin's spirit combined with the lost delicacy of The Carpenters. The finale song ‘Everywhere’ is simply, an epic, like most of his latest material it borders the six-minute length but the way in which it builds to its thundering crescendo is breathtaking, adjacent to Guns N Roses odysseys such as ‘November Rain’.

With a newfound buoyancy in the room and himself, Nutini roars ‘Go on Cardiff’ as he’s submerged by screams in response to a victorious rendition of ‘Candy’, retouched less than his former favourites but now featuring a jubilant extended finale. His resulting encore featuring ‘Let Me Down Easy’ and ‘Iron Sky’ is enthralling and considering the struggles in the first half, a victorious conclusion to the evening.

Throughout the evening Nutini’s vocals were impeccable, as was his band's craftsmanship, their strength of bond obvious just from their on-stage interactions. It felt like we were witnessing the return of real, raw live music. Accompanied by an impressive lighting rig, for the vast majority of the evening, however, your eyes and ears were fixated on Nutini. It’s brave to take the artistic stance Nutini did and also welcome that he didn’t shy away from the atmosphere bubbling but confronted it head-on. Whilst he didn’t make any changes to his setlist, and shouldn’t there’s scope for a re-ordering to better service the evening's flow. 

Nevertheless, with Nutini, who could disappear and take time away from the stage for years at a time at a moment's notice, you shouldn’t miss the opportunity to witness his craftsmanship live when you can.

Setlist:

Afterneath

Lose It

Scream (Funk My Life Up)

Acid Eyes

Stranded Words (Interlude)

Better Man

Heart Filled Up

One Day

Coming Up Easy

Through the Echoes

Radio

Cherry Blossom

Petrified in Love

Pencil Full of Lead

Jenny Don't Be Hasty / Teenage Kicks / New Shoes

Take Me Take Mine

Candy

Everywhere

Encore:

Bus Talk (Interlude)

Let Me Down Easy

Iron Sky

Shine a Light