Welcome to Searows’ Fall - Searows at Hoxton Hall - 21st October

Small venues make everything feel more intimate, and as the blue-tinted lights of Hoxton Hall flooded the room, you could feel the excitement in the air as the crowd waited patiently for Oregon native Alec Duckart, also known as Searows, to take the stage. 

To warm up the chilly air, Hetta Falzon lulled the audience with a beautiful marriage of pop and jazz, singing about not fitting in, comparing oneself to peers, and struggling with anxiety. It was the perfect start to the night, as rain began to fall gently outside.

“Can you tell I’m wearing a tie? This is a special occasion,” Duckart joked. “I don’t think I’ve ever worn a tie on stage before.”

And it really was, it being his first headlining show following a run supporting Tamino on the European leg of his tour.

The night kicked off with the tender ‘Martingale’, released last year, and in preparation for his upcoming album ‘Death in the Business of Whaling’, out January 3rd, the setlist featured both unreleased songs and tracks never played live before, with ‘Photograph of a Cyclone’ and ‘Hunter’ being particular highlights.

The recently released ‘Dearly Missed’, one of the heaviest tracks in Duckart’s discography and a slight move away from his usual folk melodies, spread through the room with its weighty guitars and drums, as his gentle yet commanding voice and stage presence filled the space. Before playing it, he admitted how scary it was to perform it live, as it felt quite different from his usual sound, but this didn’t stop it from being one of the most striking moments of the evening.

‘Guard Dog’, the album that catapulted Duckart to new heights both on and off the digital realm, made a special appearance during the evening as he announced ‘Coming Clean’, a clear crowd favourite. A tender moment unfolded when Duckart forgot part of the lyrics, and a beautiful impromptu choir broke out, which felt like an organic hug from the crowd right through to the stage. 

To close the set, the much-beloved and stripped-back ‘House Song’ brought the kind of introspection and stillness that only live music can deliver. In between the stillness, he thanked the crowd for being so attentive and for an evening well spent.

As the rain softly poured outside, the evening felt like a cosy kick-start to the winter months, a true testament to the worlds Searows’ music can build with his sound and intricate storytelling.

Everyone say welcome to Searows’ Fall.

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Words by Beatriz Vasques

Photos by Nadine Goetz