It’s another freezing cold night but there’s one last show at Nightrain to draw us out before we settle down for Christmas. Tonight we’re being greeted by the incredible voice of the one and only Danny Vaughn of Tyketto! This should have been the long-awaited Snake Oil and Harmony tour however as Dan Reed, unfortunately, had other commitments, Vaughn is here on a solo acoustic tour.
Up first however is This House We Built who are also performing an acoustic set. As the 4-piece settle into their seats, they welcome the crowd to come up closer with fake promises of a free buffet! The trick worked though as everyone moved forward for a more intimate connection with the band. Starting with “Fairweather Friend”, which was their first released single, there were clearly plenty of fans who were singing along. This continued as they moved into “Nobody’s Fool” and “Walk The Line”. The upbeat melodies of these tracks translate wonderfully into an acoustic set that exudes a great feel-good energy. Acoustic shows can sometimes have a much more chilled-out feel that can often be misconstrued as being boring but these guys clearly have a knack for choosing tracks which have a little more of a vibe to them. We saw right from the start that leads vocalist Scott Wardell is charismatic with a sense of humour and this continues throughout the set. Halfway through he begins to announce that they’re going to play “We Are, We Are” which they haven’t yet played on the tour but is quickly shot down by bassist Wayne Dowkes White as he doesn’t have the right tuning. The jokes continue before the guys settle on playing “There She Stands” which is a truly beautiful song. The jokes and the crowd interaction is just brilliant throughout the set and it’s clear this is a band that appreciates their fans. With a rounded setlist that included a fantastic cover of “Your The Voice”, these guys have smashed it out of the park in getting everyone in the mood for a night of great music and a great mood overall.
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After a short break, it’s time for Danny Vaughn to hit the stage. As the intro track played he took to the stage and settled down to play. Right from the first song, he had the crowd clapping along and speaks to them like old friends. You can instantly tell that he is incredibly down to earth and made everyone feel part of the show. Part of this is that every night of this tour has had a different setlist and this makes each show feel even more personal with fan picks spread throughout. Tonight one of those fan picks was “Battle Lines” from the Tyketto ‘Dig In Deeper’ album and was chosen by a fan who unfortunately couldn’t make it tonight. Others included “The Voice”, “Sing Into The Night” and
“Damn” which was originally recorded by LeAnn Rimes. Another of these was “Wings” from Tyketto’s first album ‘Don’t Come Easy’. This was dedicated to the opening act, This House We Built and saw vocalist Scott Warden climb up the front of the stage and join in.
Other tracks have been chosen by Danny himself as he explains at the start just because he wants to play them and include some of the big Tyketto hits such as “Reach” and “Lay Your Body Down”.
There are also some of Danny’s solo songs along with “Damned If You Do” which is a Snake Oil and Harmony original.
Another treat is the songs that have been written for other bands and for other moments in his life which he explains he doesn’t get a chance to play live all that often. One of these is “Man Enough” and after hearing it, it’s easy to understand why it’s been chosen as it has
some incredible lyrics and melodies. With some crowd singing thrown in too, this was one of those memorable moments of the night.
For every song chosen and played tonight, we’re treated to a story behind it including how and why it was written and even a little bit of a history lesson. These stories are something extra special about these shows, giving fans an insight into the singer’s inner thoughts and bringing them closer to the music. There is a beautiful moment halfway through the set though that will be something that will certainly stay in my memory from this show. From his solo album ‘Myths, Legends and Lies’ Danny explains that this song wasn’t intended to be added but following the loss of his mother, he felt the need to write it and it became the last song on the album. As the room went silent he played “What You Left Behind” which is an incredibly emotional song but even more so hearing it live tonight. Before the night is over, This House We Built, heads back to the stage for a collaboration playing Tyketto hits “The End Of Summer Days” and “Catch My Fall”. They also include one of This House We Builts tracks to play together with “Fly Me Up To The Moon”. Between tracks the band and Danny joke around but it’s clear there’s a lot of respect for one another and genuine friendships that have been made through this tour. It’s the perfect ending to the night and the tour itself. But wait… there is one song which hasn’t been played tonight and it’s only right to end with the classic “Forever Young”. Now it’s the perfect ending!
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Review: Emmie Ellis
