Hozier performing in Finsbury Park, London, on July 7th 2024
When Hozier’s first release made it to the chart, no one would’ve expected the singer to become more than a one-hit-wonder. As the years passed, and three albums were dropped, the Irish singer and songwriter, Andrew Byrne Hozier, proved everyone to be completely wrong on the matter. He dropped out of Trinity College, rolled up his sleeves and shared one masterpiece after another, resourcefully crossing genres, working with a poetic lyricism that rarely touches the ground of pop music but rather often stays segregated in poetry cells, and with incredible versatility and originality in themes and wording. Despite the two No. 1 hits, first “Take Me To Church,” and most recent TikTok and radio favorite, “Too Sweet,” Hozier’s work rarely topped the charts, keeping his work somewhat niche and introspective, still giving the feeling that his work is indeed direct to each of his individual fans.
Having created such a personal, passionate and lyrical archive of work, it wasn’t a surprise to see that over 50,000 people gathered to witness the artist’s performance of his 2024 Unreal Unearth Tour in the European capital of live music: London.
Only Hozier Can Stop the Rain
On July 7th, Irish singer and songwriter Hozier made it to London to perform his 2024 Unreal Unearth Tour. After the wet, stormy and incredible performances of the opening acts Brittany Howard and Lord Huron, the sky prophetically cleaned up for Hozier to perform.
On the wet, muddy field of Finsbury Park in the lavishing Haringey, LDN, over 50,000 fans gathered to witness one of the most magical performances of the 2024 concert season. Accompanied by his folk and swinging guitar and an expert band of eight professionals, Hozier brought to the stage a passionate, captivating performance of two hours and 20 songs.
Take Me To Hozier’s Concert
The concert started a few minutes after the clock chimed seven. As the first note of the 2023 album Eat Your Young‘s first single struck, the crowd immediately rushed towards the stage to taste some of that much-talked-about magic that only Hozier can bring to the stage. And they certainly weren’t dissatisfied.
Hozier thus started a succession of singles and hits, creating a consecutive two hours that went through like minutes as the audience danced to the rhythm of the more animated “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene” and “Dinner & Diatribes,” swung left and right to the melodic and passionate “Movement” and “Jackie and Wilson,” and was pampered by the poetic, profound and tear-jerking hits that made Hozier’s unique and unrepeatable way of transmitting emotions and concepts famous, such as “Work Song” and “Unknown/Nth.” In particular, the pathos-filled, romantic and sincere atmosphere of the latter was encouraged through the choice of playing them with the sole accompaniment of an acoustic guitar off the B stage, immersed and surrounded by his crowd in total adoration.
As expected, the two moments of maximum engagement and response from the crowd came during the performance of the Irish singer’s two biggest songs. A roar rose at the first piano note of the song that first made the singer famous, “Take Me To Church,” and the passion kept rising, picking up at the final verse. Everyone’s phone then went up as soon as the TikTok viral hit, “Too Sweet,” started playing, singing on the notes of “I think I’ll take my whisky neat.”
Read through to find the entire setlist of the evening.
“Nina Cried Power” and Its Speech Led the Audience to Tears
During the evening, the artist and his band made sure all the main hits from his three albums were part of the setlist, from 2014 Hozier to the most recent Eat Your Young. However, what surely marked the night was the speech that anticipated the performance of “Nina Cried Power” from Hozier’s second album, 2019’s Wastelands, Baby!
When the singer took the microphone to introduce his emotionally and politically involved single, silence fell throughout Finsbury Park. Hozier started discussing relevant topics of interest concerning inequality, ongoing conflicts around the world, class differences, women and gay rights—with a note on Pride Month—and other current social issues that touched the hearts of many.
Hozier is in fact notably famous for publicly and unconventionally sharing unapologetic strong views throughout every piece of his discography. The singer is, in fact, highly politically involved, using his stage, virtually and non, to express messages of emancipation and self-determination. This includes songs such as “Swan Upon Leda,” discussing the theme of women’s rights, or “Take Me To Church,” famously regarded as the anthem on gay rights and self-determination in terms of freedom of love. Not to forget his recent Unreal Unearth in its entirety. The album in fact brutally faces the different inequalities of our times through the cohesive and repeated use of the metaphor between today and Dante’s Inferno.
On the rising notes of “Nina Cried Power,” the artist then concluded his anticipation of the freedom anthem by mentioning the ongoing genocide of Palestine and Congo, virtually screaming the message of hope that, as our ancestors have already done, if we come together, change is possible. Honest and inspired, the discourse reached the heart of the crowd, clapping and screaming at the end of each of his pleas.
SETLIST
- “Eat Your Young”
- “Jackie and Wilson”
- “From Eden”
- “To Be Alone”
- “Dinner & Diatribes”
- “Angel of Small Death and the Codeine Scene”
- “Francesca”
- “Like Real People Do”
- “I, Carrion (Icarian)”
- “De Selby (Part 2)”
- “Would That I“
- “Feelin’ Alright (Joe Cocker cover) (with Brittany Howard)”
- “Too Sweet”
- “Almost (Sweet Music)”
- “Movement”
- “Take Me to Church”
Encore:
- “Cherry Wine” (B Stage)
- “Unknown/Nth” (B Stage)
- “Nina Cried Power” (with Melissa McMillan) (preceded by speech on civil rights)
- “Work Song” (preceded by band introductions)
The singer still has some concerts planned on his calendar. Check out Hozier’s tour dates here to find out when he and his incredible band will perform in your town and book yourself a magical night!
