Jumping on stage wearing a Hawaiian shirt, jeans, trainers and a cheeky grin, Dean Friedman doesn’t appear like the average singer-songwriter from the 70s, but that’s because he isn’t. Soulful songs about wishing a friend with a fatal disease well are weaved with those depicting the likes of light-hearted teenage crushes on a McDonald’s girl (an ‘angel in a polyester uniform’). Completely relaxed one minute, he breathlessly whispers tunes into the microphone as he gently strums his guitar; the next, he pounds on the keyboard and stomps his feet on the pedals with a smirk on his face as he sings ‘Death To The Neighbours’. The audience sat enraptured and enthralled in this small venue, making for a magical evening.

Malmaison Hotel, 17 – 21 Aug, 9.00pm (10.30pm), £15.00 – £18.00, fpp204
tw rating – 5/5
[ljc]

Sections: by Laura Cress - ED2011 Music Reviews - tw rating 5/5 | Tags: Dean Friedman, Malmaison Hotel

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