[Teddie2003]

Well a good 80 mile trip to Hammersmith yesterday. We arrived mid-afternoon and had a nice afternoon around Barnes, then back to the Airbnb in Castelnau Road. Easy 20 min walk over the bridge and no real queue at about 19:30, pic attached and straight up to the seats.

Silvia the support act was good, several different styles and languages and quite funny when she said something in English and then immediately realised it wasn't what she meant and a Spanish version of Hallelujah at the end of her set was great.

Last time I saw Damien was in Mallorca in 2018 and last time at Hammersmith was for 9 Crimes tour, on the bust up with Lisa night which nobody knew about at the time. Last night was the first time I've ever been back to see him at a previous visited venue.

Great set last night, lots of favourites, Cheers Darlin, The Professor, Woman Like a Man, Delicate, including my favourite Aime, which he has done on every one of the 8 shows since seeing him for the first time at the Wedgewood Rooms, Portsmouth in 2003. The sing along bit with Volcano, 9 Crimes duet with Silvia, a brilliant version of Astronaut which even had a light show with it, Eskimo started the encores. The oft promised new album/songs was mentioned, he said Sylvia and Jan had been kicking his backside about that and said that it will be coming, but he said that in Majorca 5 years ago, so think it's just watch this space.

The audience behaved themselves and you could hear every word he sang, he was quite funny with the chats/anecdotes between songs, but was quite emotional and lost it a bit just before Blowers Daughter and Sylvia and Jana had to help him on stage.

We all know a lot of things in our lives have changed a lot in many ways over the last few years, but this show was as good as I've seen him and you've all got a good show coming to you.

Now have to make a decision, go to Lake Garda in July, Damien on the 15th and Hozier on the 16th or wait and see if some more UK dates are added for later in the year. It would be a no brainer for July, but already have Peter Gabriel in Verona in May.

If anybody from Damien's "team" read any of these then please include Portsmouth Guildhall if any more UK dates are being planned and please don't play Southampton Guildhall, it's got the worst acoustics of any venue I've been to in the UK.