As the house lights dim, Green makes an understated entrance, lit by a spotlight centre stage, greeting the audience with the rhetorical question “Everybody knows what we’re doing here right?”, before opening with the crystal-clear vocals of ‘…Off By Heart’. Armed with just an acoustic guitar and a microphone, Green manages to captivate everyone from the front row to those at the back of the balcony from the very first notes, the stillness of the audience serving to amplify the simplicity and clarity of the music.

We see the first of many guitar changes for second track ‘Like Knives’, Green explaining that when he wrote anything “as a child”, it was all in different tuning. This sentiment is echoed again a little later when Green, typically humble, thanks the audience saying, “I don’t play a lot of these songs… I don’t personally connect to where I was as a baby when I was writing them… you’ve allowed me to connect to them again”. There’s a sense that it’s this connection to the songs that has made City and Colour so important to so many people. A quick glance over the seated crowd at any point during both sets sees people with their arms around one another – they could be friends, lovers, family – but the thing they all have in common is that these songs have meaning in their own lives and connections with one another.

The lighting shifts to bathe the stage in purple and teal for the emotive ‘Hello, I’m in Delaware’, with gentle guitar trills leading into pining lyrics. The lighting design over the entire evening helps to set the tone of each song and add atmosphere, with diffused lights at the rear of the stage casting a gentle glow in a myriad of colours in contrast to the brighter spots. There’s a warm golden glow for the more upbeat ‘Save Your Scissors’, followed by ‘In the Water I Am Beautiful’ which showcases the raw power of Green’s voice.

“I guess you all know what song’s next”, says Green, eliciting the first of many cheers for ‘Day Old Hate’. After ‘Sam Malone’ we’re told it’s story time, where Green tells how ‘Comin’ Home’ was written about an argument in a pay phone down the road. “Leave it up to me to forget the words” he says at the end of the song, adding “that was a test”, prompting a gentle chuckle from the ever-appreciative audience. Following ‘Casey’s Song’, the first set ends with minimal acoustic guitar for closing track ‘Sometimes (I Wish)’.

Returned from the break and now lit with a cluster of fairy lights around the base of the mic stands on the stage floor, Green introduces multi-instrumentalist Matt Kelly, who switches between guitar and pedal steel, adding harmony and depth to the deep dive into City and Colour’s back catalogue. The audience begin to add their own vocals too, joining in for the wordless refrain in ‘Constant Knot’. We also learn that it was Matt’s birthday yesterday, which leads to perhaps one of the most restrained versions of ‘Happy Birthday’ that has ever been sung at a gig.

If the playthrough of ‘Sometimes’ served as an opportunity for Green to reconnect with personal songs written 20 years ago, then it feels like the tracks chosen for this second set give the audience more of a chance to connect with City and Colour over the years. This is displayed by the number of times the audience are encouraged to sing along for songs like ‘Waiting…’ which we’re reminded is a joyful song, despite the somewhat macabre lyrics. The rhythmic groove of ‘Underground’ has people swaying along in their seats, and there are more cheers at the end of the bluesy ‘As Much as I Ever Could’, which opened with Green and Kelly facing each other on guitar, a moment of connection on stage shared with everyone in attendance.

The emotion is palpable as Green dedicates ‘Blood’ to their “dear friend Horse”; producer Karl Bareham who tragically died in 2019. The audience remain captivated for a live debut of ‘Rain’, then there’s an extended break to tune a guitar for ‘Confessions’ – the gentle tone of the pedal steel keeping the room from sitting in silence. Green mumbles into the microphone, “Sorry I fucked it up, I was reading it backwards. It’s gonna be worth it, I promise”. Guitar tuned, Green ends the song at maximum vocal power, bringing the energy back up for closing numbers ‘The Girl’ and ‘Sleeping Sickness’ which see the crowd return to top singalong form.

With an acoustic show that’s this stripped back and raw, it really is the music that counts, and it’s Green’s ability to write and perform songs that matter to so many people that has made tonight’s City and Colour show so special.

ELLIE ODURNY

When he announced the album at the start of the year, he said, “It’s about digging deep down into yourself and attempting to unearth hope and light in the things that can comfort you through those times.” As a result, ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ hears Green question and confront his beliefs; opening song and lead single ‘Meant To Be’ references this almost instantly. “The last thing on my mind was my faith,” he sings in a song about the death of his long-time producer and engineer Karl Bareham. But throughout the album, Green reveals that he does still think that he can heal, and his defiance in the face of personal adversity comes to a head on album closer ‘Begin Again’. The album is a story of philosophical and therapeutic means – his own personal journey through grief being the very thing that helped him to heal – which is a lesson he now shares with us, like his very heart laid bare for all to see.

With such a raw spine to ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’, City And Colour has adopted a new no-holds-barred approach, which is best demonstrated by ‘Fucked It Up’. As well as being painfully honest and incredibly open, the song is one of the noisiest Green has recorded away from Alexisonfire. Fingers sliding on strings, hands on guitar necks and vocals higher in the mix than ever before, this comes pretty close to sounding like a live performance. Those blemishes and realities only add to the transparency and humility that this record is teeming with, making it feel more human, more relatable and more alive.

The production value of ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ has also seen a big step up. Whereas older works like ‘Bring Me Your Love’ and ‘Sometimes’ sounded fuzzy or faded, this is a rich and vibrant album that sounds full-bodied at every turn. Whether it’s the big choruses of ‘Hard, Hard Time’ or the softer, more delicate moments of ‘Things We Choose To Care About’, the tone is like a warm embrace, the resonance wrapping around you as if you’re in the room with Green and his ever revolving band – this time comprising guitarist John Sponarski, bassist Erik Nielsen and drummer Leon Power.

‘Bow Down To Love’ acts as the album’s centre-piece, both in scope and quality. At over six minutes, it’s the longest track on the record and serves as a rallying cry for love, tolerance and equality. “If I could gather up all the hate / light a match and burn it all away / then with compassion in my voice / I would sing this song and hope that we might find a better way” are the words of a man sick of the torrid world around him, and a sentiment that most people will welcome and adopt. Green’s voice soars with intense passion and crackles with disdainful sadness in equal measure, highlighting the power and captivating timbre of his unmistakable vocals. It’s a glorious, moving number that ends in a breath-taking, wailed crescendo and is a sublime exercise in song building from a true modern master of the craft.

They say “write what you know” and if this is the result of knowing heartbreak and devastation, then it’s very sound advice indeed. ‘The Love Still Held Me Near’ proves once again what a crucial and complete singer-songwriter Dallas Green is. By far his most raw and vulnerable work to date, it also stands to be City And Colour’s most powerful and impressive, too. 

JACK TERRY

Dallas Green, Mr City And Colour himself, takes to the stage dressed in dark clothes underneath a smart brown trilby style hat. Picking up his semi-acoustic guitar, he stands centrally under a single spotlight, and opens with ‘Fragile Bird’, singing gracefully through his natural salt ‘n’ pepper beard. The dulcet tones of Green’s unmistakable voice are even more exquisite in real life than they are on record.

During the first brief period of silence, the positive heckling starts and becomes a permanent feature throughout, with “WE LOVE YOU DALLAS!” and the like bellowed at the Canadian from his seated three-tier audience. People are not exactly sober in this theatre, and Green is here for it – it’s Saturday night after all – as he receives the praise humbly and with warmth.

Session musician Matt Kelly soon joins him on stage for ‘What Makes a Man?’ and stays for the rest of the performance, accompanying him with an additional guitar and backing vocals. Both sit under a semi-circle of lights rising from the floor and back down again, changing between blue and pink, red, and all of the colours of the rainbow at once throughout the show. It’s a delicately soft use of light to highlight the solo artist, who stands before us without any sort of backdrop or banner to risk distraction.

Only three songs from City And Colour’s latest record, ‘A Pill for Loneliness’, are played, including ‘Difficult Love’ – which Green prefaces by saying that he “didn’t know how much [he] was going to need it right now”, dedicating the song to anybody who is “going through it”. At this point, Green’s sadness is almost tangible, and the emotion he plays with is raw as he pours his heart out. The singer-songwriter has always been notoriously private, using social media solely to publicise his art, and it makes this admission of vulnerability feel particularly touching.

As it’s the final night of this 15-date European tour, Green name checks the crew and implores the audience to applaud their work before playing ‘Blood’ as the 16th song of the night and swiftly exiting stage left.

He returns for an encore, jokingly explaining that he wasn’t leaving the audience waiting for more in the style of U2 front man Bono, rather that there is practically a maze to get through backstage to use the facilities. Green restarts with ‘Comin’ Home’ before seamlessly meshing it into Alexisonfire’s ‘This Could Be Anywhere In The World’. Alexis fans in the room are practically bursting with glee over this stripped back version of a legitimate favourite and sing along word for word, before the show finishes with ‘Little Hell’ and ‘Sleeping Sickness’.

Irrespective of what he’s currently dealing with in his personal life, Dallas Green left his whole heart and soul on stage tonight, like the true artist he really is.

CHELSEA SMILE

While many may know him as part of Alexisonfire, the City and Colour project has just as much gravitas, and acts as an opportunity for Green to show off the softer side to his songwriting. Where Alexisonfire encompass anger and aggression, with City and Colour Green is able to channel his more stripped back side, allowing us to take in every word and every emotion in the moment. There’s nothing to get worked up about here – it’s ambient and relaxing, the perfect setting in which to simply exist with your thoughts. 

Where before City and Colour has taken the most influence from folk and country, ‘A Pill for Loneliness’ incorporates an element of pop music and classic rock to that, too. Throughout the 11-track record, you’re taken on a journey through space while keeping one foot on the ground thanks to the bluesy undertones of each track, a refreshing take on the combining of traditional and modern music. 

‘A Pill for Loneliness’ is different to what we’ve grown used to with City and Colour, sure, but what we can always count on for consistency is the angelic nature of his vocals, and how this will always be the most stand-out feature of any City and Colour release. This time, it’s verging on ethereal – an out-of-this-world sensation that infiltrates the entire record. It’s easy to find yourself getting lost in the effortlessness of Green’s vocal range and the way it makes what is already a sensational songwriting endeavour as close to perfect as it gets. 

Green has never been one to clumsily organise a collection of tracks, but this record has been forged with such intricate attention to detail, and is so sonically cohesive, that every track leads into the next flawlessly, making it almost feel like one seamless journey as opposed to 11 individual tracks. Despite multiple songs clocking in at over six minutes, there’s not a moment where you find yourself wondering what’s coming next; instead, you take in every moment as and when it arrives – a true testament to Green’s unparalleled songwriting abilities. When it comes to the album’s design, there isn’t a criticism to be found. 

Lyrically, ‘A Pill For Loneliness’ is sad – to say the least – but by the very nature of the title, it’s built in such a way that this sadness doesn’t not feel isolating. With lyrics such as, “I will not seek forgiveness from a world that’s grown so cold and vicious”, and that describe us as being on “the wrong side of history”, it’s clear that Green is on the side of the people, never more so than during ‘Strangers’ where we are implored to “get back to loving each other”. 

The record closes in a stark yet honest manner, as Green hopelessly repeats, “lay me down, I have had enough”. It’s relatable – another way in which this album acts as a pill for loneliness, as the title so promises – but it also leaves you wondering how you might make a difference. In this hopelessness, somehow, there is hope. 

YASMIN BROWN

The record will be to commemorate ‘The Con”s tenth anniversary. All proceeds from purchasing the record will go towards the Canadian indie duo’s newly established Tegan and Sara Foundation, which raises money for self-identified women and girls in the LGBTQ community.

Pre-orders for the record will be released here on the 19th September. It will be released digitally and on CD on the 20th October, with a vinyl release due for the 22nd December. The full tracklisting is as follows.

1. Ruth B. – I Was Married
2. MUNA – Relief Next to Me
3. Shura – The Con
4. Mykki Blanco – Knife Going In
5. PVRIS – Are You Ten Years Ago
6. Ryan Adams – Back in Your Head
7. City and Colour – Hop a Plane
8. Kelly Lee Owens – Soil, Soil
9. Bleachers – Burn Your Life Down
10. Hayley Williams of Paramore – Nineteen
11. Sara Bareilles – Floorplan
12. Shamir – Like O, Like H
13. Trashique (GRIMES X HANA) – Dark Come Soon
14. CHVRCHES – Call it Off
Digital Bonus Tracks:
15. Cyndi Lauper – Back in Your Head (Bonus Track)
16. Bleached – One Second (Bonus Track)
17. Vivek Shraya – I Take All the Blame (Bonus Track)
18. Tegan and Sara – Miami Still (Bonus Track Demo)

Last year Tegan and Sara released their eighth album ‘Love You to Death’ on Vapor/Warner Bros. Records.

It contains two tracks from the recording sessions of his latest fifth album, ‘If I Should Go Before You’, which didn’t appear on the final release. It will be released on the 3rd March via Dine Alone Records. You can pre-order it here.

Lucy Rose starts the night off with her quirky and gorgeous acoustic music; tracks such as ‘Middle Of the Bed’ are delivered with silky-smooth vocals that resonate within the room. She’s an incredibly talented woman, which is demonstrated when her band join her onstage. Her music is gentle, yet she captivates the crowd with every note and chord. By the time she’s finished everyone in the room is in awe of her.

When City and Colour take to the stage, an expectant hush falls across the crowd and it pretty much stays that way for most of the night. Entranced by the change in his delicate guitar-picking to a rush of good ol’ rock, Dallas Green maintains his subtlety when playing newer tracks such as the nine-minute long ‘Woman’ and ‘If I Should Go Before You’. He brings in heady darkness with nods to his older material, like ‘Sleeping Sickness’ – it’s here that the room comes together, singing along to the chorus with a fierce passion.

His encore, which sees him pull out ‘Body In a Box’ and ‘The Girl’, marks the end of a fantastic night, accompanied by a frankly brilliant light show. Constellations of blue and white lights heighten the atmosphere within the Troxy.

The songs that City and Colour perform are solemn ballads but resonate with everyone in the room. In one way or another, each song means something to every individual. City and Colour consistently deliver, continuing to raise the bar.

JESS TAGLIANI

See our full gallery here.

The band will be heading over the UK in early 2016 for an 8 date tour.

FEBRUARY 2016
18 BRIGHTON The Dome
19 CARDIFF Great Hall
20 MANCHESTER Albert Hall
22 DUBLIN Olympia
23 BELFAST Mandela Hall
24 GLASGOW O2 Academy
26 LONDON Troxy
27 LONDON Troxy

A string of dates across the UK and the rest of Europe have just been announced for City And Colour’s 2014 tour.

Tickets will be going on general sale from 10am next Friday, August 30th. The full dates are listed below.

JANUARY
21 BELFAST, UK LimeLight
22 DUBLIN, IRELAND Olympia Theater
24 NEWCASTLE, UK O2 Academy
25 LEEDS, UK O2 Academy
26 GLASGOW, UK O2 Academy
28 MANCHESTER, UK Apollo
30 BIRMINGHAM, UK O2 Academy
31 LONDON, UK Hammersmith Apollo

FEBRUARY

02 BOURNEMOUTH, UK O2 Academy
04 BRIGHTON, UK Dome
05 PARIS, FRANCE Trabendo
07 BERN, SWITZERLAND Bierhübeli
08 LINZ, AUSTRIA Posthof
09 PRAUGE, CZECH REP The Roxy
11 HANNOVER, GERMANY Capitol
14 TILBURG, HOLLAND O13
17 COLOGNE, GERMANY Live music hall
18 STUTTGART, GERMANY Loghorn LKA
19 MUNICH, GERMANY Tonhalle
21 BERLIN, GERMANY Huxleys
22 HAMBURG, GERMANY Docks
24 COPENHAGEN, DENMARK Little Vega
25 OSLO, NORWAY John Dee
26 STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN Debaser Strand

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