Gig review: Davey Horne; Glasgow King Tut’s

By Ryan Drever
Published on 06/08/2012 02:38

IF A good voice will get you anywhere, then Davey Horne, to use a music critic’s cliché, seems likely to have “the world at his feet”.

The 22-year-old singer/songwriter from Falkirk and former keyboardist of retro-fascinated Scots group The Ray Summers continues to step out on his own and kicked off a new tour in support of his latest EP, Deep Down – released earlier this year – with a confident turn at King Tut’s.

Following a strong performance at T in The Park, and a smattering of sugary critical praise – from Lana Del Rey among others – Horne seems to be playing everything right down the middle, apparently ticking all the relevant boxes it takes to get a leg-up in this business these days. But regardless of whether it pays off, what matters most is the music.

Horne, having clearly been weaned on a diet of classic rock, soul and Americana, birthing an accent uncharacteristic of his Falkirk roots, has conjured up a slick, stylised but above all, well-constructed catalogue of Seventies-inspired numbers, with all the trimmings and stylistic conventions to draw comparisons to solid songwriters and homegrown exports such as Alex Harvey and perhaps even Rod Stewart.

While the majority of his work may be all too familiar and inspired to the point of loving imitation, it’s Horne’s voice, enthusiasm and composure live on tracks like the eponymous Deep Down that suggest his ability is merely in the early stages of its evolution, but clearly has enough clout already to turn heads.

Rating: ***