Live Report: Lewis Capaldi dishes out endless hits Electric Picnic

A day with so many high calibre acts is hard to close out, but nobody could approach the task with such casual joy as Lewis Capaldi.

Friday night in Stradbally sees floods of fans racing to the main stage for his arrival. He’s following on from two energetic performers, and we can’t help but wonder how he’s going to come out. At this point I wouldn’t be surprised to see him attached to a parachute.

The answer is typically Capaldi. He simply is suddenly on the stage, accompanied by his music. He doesn’t do the flamboyance thing, his music needs no introduction.

His voice is a well known one- he’s had numerous hits over the years, so most people are by now familiar with it. Even then, nothing can prepare a listener for how powerful it is in a live context.

His voice belts out over the crowd, and it’s hard to imagine that one, ordinary looking Scottish man with a guitar can make such an incredible sound.

It’s a near perfect recreation of how he sounds on the recordings, but his guttural, emotionally charged vocals hit twice as hard when it’s a live performance.

The crowd feel the emotion. While they cannot hold a candle to the artist, they certainly try as people of all ages scream the lyrics back at him- though they can’t sing like him, what he’s feeling has a universal appeal.

Then there’s the other thing Capaldi is known for- sorrowful and powerful songs, yes- but also the sense of humour.

Few artists are equally as entertaining between songs as they are while performing: Capaldi is a master of it. Cracking jokes with ease, you can't help but wonder if he should do a show in the comedy tent. The laughter from the crowd is certainly loud enough, as his light, self-deprecating humour goes down as well as ever.

Addressing “lecky-picky”, he talks about recent struggles with his mental health, and how grateful he is to be in the position he is in now. He does warn the audience though that the next few songs are a bit depressing. The crowd cheer.

Despite the temptation to wonder if he could have been a comedian, from the get-go Capaldi shows he is right at home on the main stage. No other stage could host someone of such incredible talent.