Almost 25 years into his career, the British musician is more charismatic than ever. Richard Hawley has just unveiled his tenth album, and ‘In This City They Call You Love’ lives up to all its promises. In the wake of this, he has decided to go back on tour to bring it to life live, and he'll be sure to make a stop in Brussels! 

Until the early 2000s, the Sheffield-born musician was widely respected for his guitar skills. He played with Longpigs, Arctic Monkeys, Elbow, Paul Weller, Manic Street Preachers and his long-time bandmates Pulp. But in his late thirties, this fan of Roy Orbison and Scott Walker decided to go solo and let his deep voice, part of a long tradition of English crooners, shine through. He was right a thousand times over. Hawley now boasts a magnificent discography of ten albums considered by many to be timeless masterpieces, two of which have been nominated for the prestigious Mercury Music Prize. This unanimous recognition has led him to sing duets with Tom Jones, Nancy Sinatra and Shirley Bassey. Audiences have also been seduced by his husky yet gentle voice, and by his emotionally-charged melodies, transcended by the twangy sound of his guitar. The real consecration finally came with the surprising and dazzling ‘Standing at the Sky's Edge’ (2012), an astonishing psychedelic escapade and also his biggest commercial success to date. After the release of his first Best of last year, he can be proud to be considered one of the most brilliant British songwriters of the last 20 years.

Today, Richard Hawley takes us on another spellbinding journey, blending vintage rock and romantic ballads with infinite delicacy. This is his tenth album, stripped back to its essentials, a new masterpiece that he will be performing live on 10 September. A must-see! 

Concert pictures © Karel Uyttendaele