Andy Shauf
It was the perfect kind of night for an Andy Shauf performance. A gentle rain washed over the city, cooling me down as I walked to L’Olympia with my partner. The crowd for the night was seated, snacking on popcorn and enjoying the company of whoever they were with. The energy in the venue wasn’t low, but it was very relaxed and unbothered.
Once the lights turned down, the crowd cheered quite loudly for Andy Shauf once he and his five other band members made their way to the stage. And with that, the show started, Wasted on You opening up the set.
The crowd adored everything Shauf did. His voice smoothly delivered sweetly worded lyrics while his band played wonderfully together, never missing a beat and filling the room with an overwhelming amount of talent.
Andy Shauf’s music has the tendency to take you to a different place, a place to keep a secret between you and each note. In this space, I feel calm, a tad melancholic, and inspired. As I looked around to everyone surrounding me who was enjoying the show, I wondered where they might have been taken to.
Shauf’s stage presence is really subtle. He’s soft-spoken and careful, yet he cracked a few jokes that made his audience laugh. Although the venue is quite big, the setting was pretty intimate. People were shouting out compliments and questions, and Shauf would answer them all before continuing his set. He played a ton of really excellent tracks, such as Telephone, Quite Like You, Clove Cigarette, and Halloween Store.
Two members of his five-piece band were playing wind instruments, switching between the flute, the clarinet, and alto saxophone. This combination, along with the piano, bass, drums, and Shauf’s guitar really added so much depth to the set. It certainly did not go underappreciated; the crowd made sure of that. They showed love any time that they could. Cheering loudly between each track, then staying silent while Shauf and his band played, being sure to hear every single note produced.
Once it was time for the encore, Andy Shauf introduced every member of his band to his audience. Once again, everyone in attendance showed their great love for him and his music, and he then ended his set with The Magician.
His set was around 19 songs in total, but it all went by so quickly. Even though everyone attending would probably agree with me that they could’ve listened to more, everyone seemed in good spirits as they left the venue. Smiling brightly and holding their loved ones close. If there’s one thing about Andy Shauf’s shows, it’s that they will definitely have that effect on you.
Jamie Siddall
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