José González, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, April 10 (From The Argus)

José González, De La Warr Pavilion, Bexhill, April 10

9:15am Tuesday 12th April 2011 in Music Reviews By Al Horner

Swedish troubadour José González’s popularity might have waned in the five years since his take on The Knife’s song Heartbeats plastered itself across Britain’s airwaves and television adverts, but his creative impulses clearly haven’t.

The Gothenburg guitarist took to the stage at the picturesque De La Warr Pavilion in Bexhill with a 20-piece orchestra, and delighted the audience with impressive reworkings of his acoustic back catalogue.

So often the sole figure on his albums, González evidently relished the opportunity to flesh out his compositions with terse string arrangements and splashes of woodwind.

The songwriter initially emerged alone to deliver his trademark brand of frenzied finger-picking and introspective singing. He was soon joined by the orchestra and a wealth of timbres entered the fray to add weight to his austere compositions.

Staccato violins and pounding percussion lent an urgency to the melancholic Crosses, while the crowd were recruited by the orchestra’s animated conductor to clap along to a tumultuous rendition of Down The Line.

The soft celestial charm of González’s music has earned the musician many plaudits and on the evidence of this rousing performance he is sure to soon win many more.