Forget a night on the sofa in front of the television watching X Factor, an evening at The Oak, listening to Kingston's man of the moment, Aaron Norton provides a real musical treat, writes Rachel Nicol.
His audience were treated to the same high quality performance we have come to expect from him, without any judges’ comments, advert breaks or voting lines to call. The gig was a true testament to how good he is and The Oak was electric, packed full of adults and young people alike all singing, clapping and dancing along to the music that filled the pub.
As the lights were dimmed and the atmosphere set, Aaron took to the stage and opened with the well known song When You Say Nothing At All.
The audience immediately began singing along and were ready to spend the evening watching him deliver, yet again another passionate performance.
For me, it makes it almost impossible to believe that nowadays we will happily sit and watch our favourite singers mime to a produced track, when it is clear that there is untapped raw talent in our area, that make enjoying live music an everyday activity not a luxury.
If while at the gig you took a moment to take your attention away from the singing and dancing, you would notice the unbelievable age range he appeals to, and how they all appreciate every song, be they modern or one of the old classics.
Not only does he do justice to songs sung by legends such as Elvis Presley and The Everly Brothers, but also more recent artists like the Kings of Leon and The Killers.
Performing a number of his own original compositions also shows that he can not only sing and play guitar, but also has an amazing talent for song-writing. Each word is sung with such conviction, that everyone can pick up on the heartfelt lyrics and melodies of his own music.
During his second set everyone had found that they couldn't help but get up and dance. Very soon Aaron found himself surrounded by an audience wanting another song to dance along to.
Unfortunately everything good has to come to end and as he tried to finish with the classic song Hallelujah the crowd still wanted more.
I counted three encores before the night eventually ended on the whole pub in unison singing the lyrics to Don’t Look Back In Anger.
I am sure everyone there would agree when I say we all had the pleasure of enjoying a brilliant night out, listening to a high quality performance from someone with the undeniable ability to become a star, all for free.
We are very privileged to have someone of such huge talent in Kingston that gives us the opportunity to see him perform at such an intimate level, when it is clear he is of a quality worthy of much more than social networking sites and performing on Kingston’s streets and in local pubs.
While they help to get Aaron’s name out there, when striving towards being a creative artist it is through continued support and via word of mouth that Aaron will become known to an even wider audience.
What is it that separates Aaron from any other upcoming musician? Maybe it is that X Factor or star quality, but it is unquestionable that his passion and talent for singing and song writing can fill any room and will surely have you captivated.
The dream is obvious and to many he is an inspiration. He has chosen to follow an ambition so difficult to accomplish, by picking one of the most competitive, yet rewarding industries to try to break into. While we worry about keeping a job that we don’t really like, but need the money from, people like Aaron help to remind us it’s not all about the money.
To pursue something that you both love and have undeniable talent in seems obvious, but is without a doubt not the easy route. However for some it is the road to better things and we can only hope that Aaron will become the star he deserves and has worked so hard to be.
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