Dan Croll

Nothing screams Autumn more than a cozy intimate folk pop gig in the Waterfront Studio. Whilst staff were spookying up the joint downstairs for the Meltdown Halloween Party (quite the tonal clash of an after party), revellers were treated to soothing acoustic melodies from the delightful Dan Croll.

Early arrivers were treated to the blissful Clairo esq harmonies of childhood friend duo Sunflower Thieves. They sang of their beautiful family-like connection, and shared charming stories from the road with Dan over the last couple of weeks. One thing that stood out to me was the amount they referred to spending time with Dan on tour, even sharing he’d learnt one of their songs on keyboard. This level of comradery is often lacking between support and headliner, even for those that spent months on end on the road together. Their charisma and wondrous vocal capabilities transfixed the room making an excellent impression on revellers. Their songs have a palpable sweetness that embraces you like a warm hug.

Dan Croll took to the stage solo. Though known for the vibrant synths of his debut album, and tinkering indie rock flourishings of his recent album “Fools”, it was a pleasure to enjoy a stripped back acoustic set. It sparked a nostalgia in me of the early days of Ed Sheeran, Gabrielle Aplin, Orla Gartland and Lewis Watson that filled me with excitement in my teenage years. He shared stories of having moved to America in 2018 for 5 years and coming back home feeling like a fresh start. His soothing falsetto vocals floated through the room like a tangerine cloud of sweetness. Big sing along moments came with singles from his debut album “From Nowhere” and “Home”, but it was disappointing that these were his only two big hitters. That’s not to say there was a single dull moment, as tunes such as tracks like “Fools” and “Talk To You” felt airy and fun with the relatability of a feelgood romcom.

Perhaps the lack of his earlier material was symbolic of his pre-USA and post USA move, or the trickiness of a solo acoustic setup, but the soaring euphoria of “Compliment Your Soul” and eerie softness of “Sweet Disarray” would have topped off the evening. Clocking in at just over 40 minutes, the show was over far too quickly with not even a quick encore to treat the attentive audience (everybody in the room queued to meet Dan at merch afterwards). Strict curfews indeed pose a big obstacle, but a song or two extra would have rounded off an excellent evening. It was however a treat to appreciate Dan’s brilliant songwriting on an intimate level, and it was the perfect gig for the season.