It’s a crazy phenomenon how music brings you back to a certain time with which you associate it. Andrew Hozier-Byrne, whose entire first album, simply entitled, Hozier, always brings me back to 2014, walking from my Chinatown apartment in Glasgow, Scotland to my grad school classes at The University of Glasgow. I put on the album and I’m immediately transported back to specific streets of specific neighborhoods – even the dreary weather, and the feeling of the cool tiny drops of rain drizzled tapping on my skin. I’d press pause and remove my wired headphones when I got into class, then let it run again on my walk home as the sun set at 3pm during the cold, gloomy Glaswegian winters. I had been wanting to see Hozier live since then, and when I finally got to see him perform at The Anthem last Monday night, his smooth, buttery voice did not disappoint.
Hozier’s first studio album is one that I don’t see myself ever getting tired of hearing. Hozier’s latest album, “Wasteland, Baby!” has a similar, dark, yet dreamy and emotional feel. It’s more of a niche album and arguably less poppy than the first. Both albums are what I like to call “good walking albums” – if you’re ever going for a stroll, put on one of the two albums and you’ll see what I mean.
Before shooting the show, I cheated and looked up his recent setlists so that I knew what to expect in terms of lighting. I was a little nervous when I saw that the first song would be, “As It Was”, which I knew called for moody lighting. The second song was the dreamy “Would That I,” and the band and the crowd rocked out to the third, “Nina Cried Power,” which is a testament to Hozier’s love of American Rock and Roll, R&B, and activism. The backdrop to this song was particularly powerful, with images of marches from The Civil Rights Movement and modern-day protests. Hozier’s songs on both albums are often dark, yet beautiful, and often very relatable. He was honest about how he often has dark thoughts cross through his mind, and has to stay occupied to distract from them. But the man can make a beautiful song out of those dark thoughts he spoke of.
I think it’s safe to say that Hozier played all of his crowd-pleasing favorites at The Anthem on Monday night, as well as some of his lesser-known tracks, and a few newly-released songs, for which he asked the crowd to tuck their phones away and be present. His newest release that he shared his audience at The Anthem, entitled Jackboot Jump, seemed to have immediately won over the crowd. Check it out here!
He spoke openly about current news-worthy topics such as climate change and politics. “F*ck subtlety,” he said, and the crowd cheered in appreciation for his honesty. If you haven’t already, check out Hozier’s first studio album, Hozier, and his latest, Wasteland, Baby! and see some more shots from the show below!
