Live Review: Passenger – 11th July 2024 – Kew The Music, London, UK
4 min read
Kew The Music continued yesterday evening, welcoming Passenger to its calm and cosy affair. Passenger, AKA. Mike Rosenberg, is best known for his 2012 smash hit Let Her Go, but has continued to be prolific both in recorded music and in touring. Last night marked the continuation of his anniversary celebrations for All The Little Lights, the album featuring the aforementioned single, and the forecast looked as though it would prove to be a perfect night for such an event.
Unfortunately, due to work commitments and the never-ending mishap that is the London Underground, we missed Newton Faulkner’s opening set. From the general vibe enwrapping the crowd, it had been the perfect start to the evening. We hope to perhaps catch Newton at a later date. Thankfully, travel eased up and we managed to catch the back half of Gabrielle Aplin’s set. Accompanied by just a piano, she gave a heart wrenching version of Salvation, and finished off with Miss You. Stripped back it really revealed not only her great songwriting, but also her incredible and dynamic voice. As we would find out, also, this would not be the last time we saw her.
At 8:45 on the dot, Mike emerged to rapturous applause, most of the lounging picnickers rising to greet him. He begun his set with All The Little Lights, announcing to the crowd prior that this was his biggest UK headline set ever. His energy in the face of this was apparent. Afterwards, he set some ground rules. “That was the most depressing start to a gig…you know what you’re in for.” Mike talked himself down, remembering the last time he played it in ‘biblical’ rain. Solo on guitar, he followed this up with Life’s for the Living. With the gorgeous guitar licks echoed out, he stomped and strummed his way through, calling for everyone to sing along on more than one occasion. One thing that became apparent from the start was Mike’s sense of humour. He talked to the crowd with the wit of a standup comedian, keeping even the youngest of audience members engaged. Another observation was his persistence. After loosing a guitar string mid song, he thundered on regardless, seamlessly changing instruments while continuing to sing. The hallmarks of a true professional.
“Hello London my old friend,” Mike sung in a eerily familiar tone. “It’s a new one.” Laughter and cheers mixed as he urged people to sing along to The Sound of Silence, made famous of course by Simon & Garfunkel. Later he told of a terrible pub gig in which he told a child he had written the song. “They’re in their 20s now, so if anyone meets the man in question, nobody tell him.” A highlight of the evening was I Hate, a song in which Mike sings of all the things he despises, from racists to the Tories. He even managed to slot in the word ‘quiche’ after it came up in a previous conversation. “Nothing rhymes with quiche,” he said mid song, before adding, “it’s so niche.”
Gabrielle Aplin made her return to perform a version of Circles from the anniversary edition of the aforementioned album. Their voices melded beautifully, elevating the song, especially when Gabrielle took the second verse solo. Then the rain came, and with it a brand new song. Everyone persevered, including Mike, singing the song Ghosts. “I don’t know that’s gonna happen,” he said, clearly nervous about performing the track. “Sometimes I can, sometimes I can’t” Needless to say, the unreleased song went down without a hitch. This lead into the biggest song of the night Let Her Go, much to the appreciation of the fans. “I’m running out of things to say about that song,” he said afterwards, ruminating that it was written in 45 minutes at a pub in Australia. He ended his main set on the more uplifting Scare Away The Dark, his thumping foot echoing out across the park as he sung out, with everyone singing the bridge back to him. He returned for a few more tunes after a short break, concluding an amazing and highly memorable performance.
Set List:
All The Little Lights
Life’s for the Living
Table for One
Queenstown
The Sound of Silence (Simon & Garfunkel Cover)
I Hate
Young as the Morning, Old as the Sea
Circles (with Gabrielle Aplin)
Ghosts
Let Her Go
Scare Away The Dark
Encore:
London in the Spring
Boomerang
Holes
Writer and Musician, Ryan Bulbeck has been published with a number of online publications, and has worked with a myriad of great artists, both as a performer, and as a producer. His most recent band The 295 are still active, playing shows around the UK.
