Lewis Capaldi opened the first of two back to back sold out nights at Summer Sessions in Princes Street Gardens last night. With the sun shining and the iconic scene set, the singing sensation from Bathgate took to the stage opening with mega-hit ‘Grace’, complete with confetti canons.
Following the concerts last weekend with rock’n’roll icons Primal Scream and Johnny Marr on Saturday night and Scots synth-pop experts CHVRCHES with their show it was time for local boy Lewis Capaldi to make his Summer Sessions debut.
Mixing his effortless voice and catchy melodies with his now well-known Scottish banter, the young singer-songwriter said, “For anyone who hasn’t seen me before, I will ask you a simple question – Do you like rock’n’roll? Well I’m not going to play any!”
Playing crowd singalong favourites including ‘Don’t Get Me Wrong’, ‘Bruises’ and ‘Hollywood’, Capaldi had the crowd in the palm of his hands and joked he was trying to perfectly time his set with the Tattoo fireworks for the big finish.
First up on the Princes Street Gardens stage, Indigo Velvet treated the crowd to their blend of indie pop-rock, perfect for the sunshine that graced the capital. The band said, “Thank you to our good old pal Lewis for having us” before starting the crowd in a Lewis Capaldi chant, starting the night as they meant to go on.
Next up and continuing the West Lothian locals’ theme, Mark Sharp & The Bicycle Thieves took to the stage with their fiery mix of indie rock.
With one of the most dedicated fanbases around, it was then time for local band The Snuts to make their Summer Sessions debut – and they did not disappoint. Opening with ‘The Matador’, frontman Jack Cochrane then said, “It’s been a while since we’ve played this song in the capital, this one’s called Glasgow”, before launching into their epic ode to Scotland’s other city.
An incredible night featuring some of the finest music Scotland has to offer was brought to an end with an epic display of fireworks behind Edinburgh Castle.
With only four shows left for Summer Sessions in Princes Street Gardens, fans still have time to snap up tickets for James on Thursday 15 August and Madness on 18 August, as they close another epic edition of music in Scotland’s capital city. Lewis Capaldi plays his second sold out night on 14 August, while indie rock guitar heroes Courteeners play a sell out show on Friday 16 August.
The spotlight then turns to Glasgow Summer Sessions on Friday, for one of its biggest ever years as the city welcomes The Cure, Foo Fighters and The 1975 to Bellahouston Park.
Bringing Scotland’s festival season to a triumphant finale, approximately 85,000 music fans are expected to descend on Bellahouston Park on 16, 17 and 25 August for three days of live music from some of the biggest bands in the world.
Remaining tickets for The Cure and The 1975 on sale from WWW.SMMRSESSIONS.COM
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
