23rd June marks the day after the heatwave in Bristol. It was a very overcast day that felt like freezing temperatures compared to 32 degrees the previous day. However, Bristolians are completely un-phased by this geographical disappointment, because the legendary Craig David is in town, as part of Bristol Sounds Festival. The gig was overlooking the Bristol harbour-side which added a magic touch to Craig DavidÔÇÖs Glastonbury warm up gig. Opening with his recent hit AinÔÇÖt Giving Up, this warmed the crowd up within the first note. This was followed by the old classic WhatÔÇÖs Your Flavour. What is very unique about Craig DavidÔÇÖs sets is the diverse range of songs he features, from the early noughties to now. Each song has exactly the same ecstatic reaction from the crowd, as everyone seemed to know every song. He played his favourite song from his first album, Rendezvous, but announced ÔÇ£this is called the remixÔÇØ and continued to add an up-to-date 2017 twist. Two backing singers were on hand to help Craig out with his infamous harmonies. They even managed to harmonise ÔÇ£BristolÔÇØ during the chorus of Nothing Like This. I noticed that he included most of his newest songs when it got dark creating more of a club vibe, leaving the reminiscent songs, like Rendezvous to the beginning of the set. No matter when each song was released each track he played was a classic and clearly all fan favourites. He played a cover of Justin BieberÔÇÖs Love Yourself, making it his own with a little help from a prominent acoustic guitar and an electric drum beat. As the encore, of course, he had to play 7 Days followed by the 2016 remix of Fill Me In where he manages to rhyme ÔÇÿsixteenÔÇÖ and ÔÇÿsixteenÔÇÖ together and makes it sound like they are meant to be rhymed. All in all, a Craig David gig would be absolutely recommended to anyone. The day after this gig he played a Glastonbury set, with the second biggest crowd of the entire festival. WOW.
Charlotte Minett