Steve Appleton play the O2 Shepherds Bush Empire
Steve Appleton won over the hearts of many when he introduced himself with his single ‘City Won’t Sleep’. He is a singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, so when it comes to performing live, you wonder just how this young musician would be able to pull it off.
Appleton stated that he usually has a full band behind him, assuming so that he can go between keys and guitars as he pleases. On this occasion however he had no band, instead, the stage consisted of himself, two guitars, keyboards and plenty of backing tracks. Having been witness to gigs before that have failed to use this method to entertain the crowd, anxiety was high and expectations moderate in regards to this performance. It is a pleasure to say that Steve Appleton exceeded all expectations and gave quite a set. He performed a selection of hits from his recent debut album ‘When the Sun Comes Up’ such as ‘Seeing Stars’ as well as a very good cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Human Nature’.
Having to enter the stage solo, without a band and basically sing along to a backing track is not one of the most productive evenings for a musician. However, Steve Appleton didn’t let this or the fact that his guitar strap broke get him down. He gave all his energy and enthusiasm as he persisted in making a set he hoped would entertain the crowd and I am pretty sure it did.