Gig review: Hamish Hawk at The Wardrobe, Leeds

If you want to hear songs about “ecclesiastical architecture and racquet sports” then you’ve come to the right place. Launching his third album, A Firmer Hand, Hamish Hawk gives the impression he’s eaten the entire set of Encyclopaedia Britannica.

The Edinburgh singer-songwriter is literate, arch, and can’t resist two pop culture references where one would suffice.

Such florid outpourings could be a barrier but he’s a thoroughly engaging performer, with every statement met with an enthusiastic whoop from the audience. His act is also emotionally charged, with songs brought to life with dramatic hand gestures, a scrunched-up nose, and tripping skips that leave his sallow complexion flushed.

The compositions are equally dramatic. The five new tracks, which are introduced faux apologetically, focus on relationships with the men in his life. These employ his expressive baritone to bring to life characters who are “six foot six and fierce as Jesus” (‘Autobiography of Spy’) and who wear a “Colonel Tom Parker signet ring” (‘Big Cat Tattoos’).

Rooted, but not defined, by 90s chamber pop, the tracks tip their hat to country (‘Rest and Veneers’), post-punk wiriness (‘Caterpillar’), and Franz Ferdinand-style art rock (‘Disingenuous’). His delivery and wordsmithery, meanwhile, is pitched somewhere between Morrissey and The Divine Comedy. It’s an era that’s positively impacted on him in other ways: he was mentored by King Creosote and is produced by Idlewild’s Rod Jones.

Despite support from 90s mainstays, he’s far from an overnight success. He released an album as Hamish James Hawk in 2014, became Hamish Hawk & the New Outfit for an offering in 2018, before finally recording under his own name in 2021 (a monitor that encompasses his four-piece backing band). It was only at this point that he enjoyed a critical breakthrough, with two nominations in the Scottish Album of the Year Award.

Such a slow-burn career warrants the joy he exhibits on stage and the gratitude he expresses towards the audience. Most tracks are dedicated to fans, who contacted him via social media, and the nine-track set is expanded to include a request for ‘Bakerloo, Unbecoming’.

It’s unlikely he’ll maintain this level of intimacy much longer, with support dates with Travis lined up over winter, so catch him while you can in smaller venues.