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By Maxim Mower
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During a stellar performance at London's intimate Hoxton Hall venue, The Lumineers treated the packed-out crowd to a series of new tracks from their forthcoming album, Automatic.
The keenly anticipated project arrives on Valentine's Day (February 14th), with the lead single, ‘Same Old Song’, being made available on January 8th in tandem with the announcement.
The surprise Hoxton Hall showcase was put together as a special charity show in aid of War Child UK, which carries out tireless work to support and protect children affected by conflict.
As well as serenading the UK audience with classics such as ‘Ophelia’, ‘Cleopatra’ and ‘Stubborn Love’, The Lumineers’ Wesley Schultz and Jeremiah Fraites performed stripped-back versions of an array of offerings from their fifth studio album.
Their energising, uptempo take on ’Same Old Song’ drew a rapturous response from the crowd, while more intricate, soulful ballads such as the new album's title track and ‘You're All I Got’ cast Hoxton Hall into silence, each audience-member hanging on every word that Wesley Schultz delivered. On the latter, Schultz took the opportunity to pay tribute to his fellow Lumineer, Jeremiah Fraites, movingly admitting, “I love him and I need him”, before dedicating the powerful song to Fraites.
The occasion was given an extra sense of lustre from the fact that it was Jeremiah Fraites’ birthday, with War Child's CEO, Rob Williams, taking the stage prior to The Lumineers’ performance to speak about the charity and lead the crowd in singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Fraites. Heartwarmingly, his family were in attendance, with Fraites frequently waving to his wife and children on the balcony during the set.
The entire performance was permeated by a familial warmth, with Wesley Schultz opening up about the inspiration behind a number of tracks, including the duo's visceral reflection on addiction, ’Gloria’, and the unreleased ‘A**hole’, which Schultz revealed was penned about his wife's initial impression of him, before they started dating.
Buoyed by a captivating opening set from folk prodigy, Michael Marcagi, who returns to the UK in May with The Lumineers at the considerably larger venue of the O2 Arena, this War Child UK show was a spellbinding, enchanting opportunity to see an array of infectious, anthemic songs in their earliest, demo-esque form. The crowd were left eagerly counting down the days until The Lumineers’ eclectic new album, Automatic, and their subsequent EU/UK Tour this Spring.
For The Lumineers’ full Hoxton Hall setlist in London, UK on Friday, January 17th, 2025, see below:
For more on The Lumineers, see below: