Hotel Lux played 22 shows across Europe and the UK during February to support the release of their debut album Hands Across the Creek, ending with a sold out hometown show in a brewery, the Staggeringly Good, in Portsmouth, UK. Literally setting up in the loading bay of the bottling room, with no stage, this was as intimate as you get and a fitting end to the tour for this unassuming English pub-rock punk band.
Favourites of course included Hotel Lux‘ breakout 2017 song “The Last Hangman”, mesmeric and intense played live, as well as many from the new album including “National Team” and set-closer “Eastbound and Down”. Frontman Lewis Duffin, his usual charismatic yet humble, lad-down-the-pub persona, delivered earnest vocals much in a spoken-word style. The appearance is a thrown-together new band, but this is a mature impressive sound with many great tunes in the back catalogue and the new album. The performance is exciting and captivating, including an acoustic segment, a little tambourine, a violin held together with gaffa tape, keyboards, and vocals from three of the band.
Support was from Average Life Complaints from Brixton, UK, a perfect opener to the show. Highlights included the unreleased song “Bailiffs” (don’t let them in) and “Wealth Gap” from their 2021 EP “Fish & Chips”.
Photos and words by Tony Palmer (Website, Instagram, TikTok).
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Keep up with Average Life Complaints: Facebook /// Instagram /// TikTok
