The Heaton singer-songwriter sold out the venue and gave the performance of his life to over 1600 people. Having seen Cushin perform live multiple times, this was by far the most emotionally powerful of his gigs that I’ve attended. His debut EP You Don’t Belong was only released in April this year, yet Cushin captivated the audience with an extensive setlist. Only a year older than me, his musical achievements are something to be astounded by. Cushin has already been signed to Strap Originals, a label owned by The Libertines’ co-frontman, Pete Doherty. And in October 2020, he released the single ‘Where’s my family gone’ which was produced by Noel Gallagher.
The night opened with fantastic performances from SAHAJi and The Lottery Winners. The former, a Japanese Brothers band with a resemblance to the Gallagher brothers, provided a fantastic rendition of Oasis’ ‘Stand by me’ and set the evening off to a great start. They were followed by The Lottery Winners, an indie pop band from Manchester. Frontman Thom Rylance’s crude humour and great stage presence were a perfect warm up for what was to be one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
But nothing could prepare me for the electric atmosphere that was to come. Before Andrew came to the stage, Newcastle United flags were hoisted up and swayed at the front of the stage. Black and white clips of the city were projected onto the back wall, whilst Jimmy Nail’s ‘Big River’ blared from the speakers. Most of the audience sang along to the classic tune and let out a roar when Cushin’s face was shown on the projection. I’ll be honest, I’ve never been prouder to live in Newcastle.
Andrew took to the stage with a swaggering confidence and burst straight into ‘Catch me if you can’. His voice has a real power and maturity to it and works well alongside the depth of a full band or as a vulnerable note alone onstage. The first few tunes had a heavy rock influence which perhaps indicate the direction his music is moving in, yet the main section of the set featured Cushin alone onstage playing some of his earlier tracks which feature a touch of the blues. At this section of the set, his emotion was palpable as he performed a song written for his dad, declaring it one of the “most personal” he’d ever written.
Visibly overwhelmed by the crowd’s respect for him, Andrew had tears in his eyes as he thanked fans for coming and said how much it meant to him. As a thank you, cameras were turned to the audience who will now be making an appearance in his next music video. The encore consisted of two songs, including ‘Where’s my family gone’ and saw Cushin take off his jacket to reveal a Newcastle United shirt which was met with a chant of approval from the crowd.
Andrew has such a promising career ahead of him, I’d be willing to put money on it that one day I’ll be seeing him perform at a sold-out concert at the Utilita Arena and he will be immortalised as a Newcastle hero. So, if you haven’t heard of the lad, I hope this article has convinced you to listen to his music. And if you are already a fan, I salute you. Impeccable taste.
