The thing about good friends, is that you can go for ages without seeing them, but when you do, it’s as if the time in between just melts away. It was therefore hard to comprehend, on seeing Boo again, that it had been a year since he was here last, accompanied then by Heidi Talbot. This time it was simply Boo, complete with his distinctive voice, signature guitar, endearing humility and often self deprecating, but wickedly funny sense of humour. 

Boo’s distinguished career has led him to work with some of the most well known musicians in the industry, but sandwiched between each song were not boastful accounts of celebrity shoulder rubbing, but down to earth stories of extraordinary experiences seen through the eyes of a modest man who has never forgotten where his roots are, and what it is he does best. That is translating the untranslatable, unravelling the complexities of the human experience, and distilling them into deceptively simple songs, delivered with such honesty and emotion, it’s as if they have been written just for you. 

There is an unspoken trust that we share with our favourite singer-songwriters when they stand before us. We open up and become vulnerable, allowing ourselves to absorb their esoteric insight and wisdom, and they in turn tune in to our every response and expression, shaping each sentence and phrase to match each moment, much like a prescriber of medicine. And if songs are indeed medicinal, then Boo Hewerdine would surely be a recipient of a Nobel prize by now. It is why he is still so very much in demand, not just as a performer, but as a co-writer and producer for musicians at every stage of their careers.

Of course, like all the best doctors, it’s not just the prescription that must be right, it’s the bedside manner that comes with it and Boo’s mobile apothecary dispenses just as much laughter and silliness as it does empathy and sentiment! Very few acts that visit the Froize manage to transform the carpet into a dance floor but with just a little persuasion, he managed to do just that. It’s not only the audience he likes to engage with though;  towards the end of the gig he also managed to coax our sound engineer and MC on to the stage to accompany him. David and Kelly had both met Boo on a song-writing retreat so were already familiar with his egalitarian nature and his music! They were humbled to be invited on stage, and the audience was delighted to have a tiny sample of Kyson Point ahead of their own night at the Froize the following month.

As always, Boo was as humble and entertaining off Stage as on, and as he was leaving we managed to start a new tradition at Froize – capturing a team photo, and an autograph! We can’t wait to see Boo here again, and we know that however long it will be it will only seem like yesterday he was here last!