George HaffendenShalamar’s lead singer stops by London’s Union Chapel for a night of his solo hits
Whether or not there is a God, there is always something special about attending a show at the Union Chapel. Perhaps it’s because you’re sitting in the pews, contemplating the many sins you’ve committed, that heightens your senses. Or more likely, the venue seems to attract some of the best performers around.
Last week was no different as Howard Hewett, Shalamar’s lead singer, performed a one-off solo show for a devoted audience on a warm Tuesday night.
Sandwiched in between another mammoth UK tour for Shalamar, Howard didn’t appear tired – instead he seemed energised to be playing his solo material in this special venue.
And while as one third of Shalamar he is rightly recognised as an impressive singer, I often think he’s overlooked as one of the vocal greats. Yes, Shalamar are fantastic and having seen them several times, their shows are great. But perhaps it’s because the trio are often drowned out by so many people singing along to their greatest hits, I previously didn’t appreciate how great Howard Hewett is. But this special night at the Union Chapel proved why Howard should be considered one of the modern greats.
Joined on stage by a single keyboardist and armed with some backing tracks, Howard performed a brilliant 90 minute set highlighting both his solo successes and a few of his Shalamar hits.
His voice doesn’t seem to have aged in the past decades, and he himself cut a dapper figure in spotted shirt, waistcoat and trademark hat. And he’s still clearly very popular with the ladies, given the noise one rowdy attendee was making throughout.
Normally when an artist uses backing tracks, I’m underwhelmed – but actually this time, given Hewett’s ability to hold a crowd and the fact his voice is so good, I wasn’t bothered. If anything, it put the focus purely on Hewett and allowed him to really sing without competing with a band or other vocalists.
The set was broadly made up of Howard’s solo hits, opening with my favourite ‘Show Me’ before moving into ‘I’m For Real’ and ‘Once, Twice, Three Times’ – on the latter encouraging the crowd to join in the chorus, only for us to mess the timing up.
Compared to his Shalamar songbook, Howard’s solo songs are often more laid back, ballad-type affairs, demonstrating another side to the danceable soul that he’s famous for. And it’s in these slow, romantic moments that Howard impresses the most, his voice as good as it was on the original recordings.
And as Howard talked through some of his songs, I wasn’t aware just how many greats he’s worked with. How many people can name drop Stanley Clarke and George Duke in the same sentence? Their song ‘Heaven Sent’ is really worth checking out.
Howard is also a quite a funny man, telling jokes and stories between songs. (If you haven’t heard him on the Questlove Supreme podcast, I’d recommend you do – it’s a long listen, but absolutely fascinating).
It might be his solo show, but Hewett knows what the people want – they want the Shalamar hits, solo show or not. As soon as the opening bars to ‘Second Time Around’ started the audience leapt up in their pews, as Hewett breezed through a medley containing ‘Make That Move’, ‘Somewhere There’s A Love’ and the classic ‘A Night To Remember’.
Then to end the pace slowed, with ‘For The Lover In You’ before going into ‘Say Amen’ – Hewett’s usual show closer. And it would have been the perfect closer in the church setting, and normally it is his final song in his set. However, as it turns out (and I was told later), Howard was so engrossed engrossed in his performance in church that he forgot to sing ‘Heaven Sent’, one of his bigger UK hits. So to the confusion of the sound and lighting team (and myself, as I was nearly out the door to catch a train) Hewett returned for an unexpected encore.
As I ran towards Highbury & Islington for a tube back to Victoria, frantically trying to Spotify a Howard Hewett playlist for the journey home, I couldn’t help feel that I’d witnessed something truly great. Howard Hewett is one of the best singers I’ve seen perform. He’s a classy act, and to see him perform in a special venue like the Union Chapel really was a treat.
Support: Acantha Lang
Support on the night was provided by Acantha Lang, surely the next soul superstar in the making. Originally from New Orleans, Lang now calls London home, and has spent part of 2022 on tour supporting Kenny Thomas.
It’s a wonder anyone takes her on tour though, given how great she is – you feel that she could easily out-sing almost anyone. Lazy comparisons with the greats would be easy to make, but I certainly felt that this was a woman who could easily hold her own against any soul diva.
Given the stripped back nature of the evening, Lang was accompanied by just a guitarist and keyboardist during her 30 minute opening set, but actually it worked really well in the church setting. Her voice is truly remarkable, as is her song-writing. She performed selections from her solo releases so far, as well as her upcoming single release (a full debut album is due out this year, hopefully).
But it was her song ‘Lois Lang’, a tribute to her mother, that was the real highlight: a wonderful song that brought Lang to tears performing in such a spiritual venue.
Anyone who missed Acantha’s opening really did let themselves down, this is an artist on the verge of great things.