- Music
- 13 Jan 16
The quintet lead a night of celebration befitting a chart-topping act
After enjoying a two week stint at the top of the charts with Joyland, 2015 has been a year to live long in the memory for Keywest. Little wonder, then, that the quintet should be in altogether ebullient mood when closing their account for the year at the Grand Social.
Their popularity has risen to the level that requires a four-night stand - this being the second - though the palpable energy poured into their set would make you think there's nothing but R&R scheduled for the following evenings. 'Apple Tree Hill' and 'Gypsy Rose', both lifted from the new LP, give the crowd an early opportunity to show off their lyrical knowledge and dulcet tones; both, happily, are of high quality. So too is the spontaneity for which the band are renowned, as a bongo-drum breakdown takes things in a tribal direction, before a rendition of 'All I Want For Christmas Is You' brings an altogether festive atmosphere to proceedings.
There are promises for the future, too; frontman Andy telling the adoring crowd that they could look forward to another collection sometime in 2016, while 'This Is Heartbreak' will be unleashed as a single in the New Year. For the night that was in it, though, it was a celebration of the year that had been; as the capacity crowd wandered out to the quays and home, humming the earwig of a tune 'All My Mistakes', the buskers-turned-charttoppers deserve to reflect on a special 12 months - for two more nights at least.