15/07/2022

Paolo Nutini

Anfiteatro del Vittoriale - Tener-a-mente Festival, Gardone Riviera (Brescia)

by Matteo Contri

It had been a full seven years since Paolo Nutini had put on a show on Italian stages, and the Scottish songwriter now returns to the spotlight to present his new work, “Last Night In The Bittersweet”, which arrives a full eight years after its predecessor “Caustic Love”.

For the grand return of the singer-songwriter, the atmospheric amphitheatre of D'Annunzio's Vittoriale degli Italiani was chosen as location for the first Italian date, an infinitely evocative setting that hosts the Tener-a-mente festival.

In the last light of sunset, Nutini and his six squires take to the stage and immediately set the mood thanks to the magic of “Afterneath”, one of the highlight of the latest, surprising LP, which comes across as a blend of soul and sensations straddling kraut and the post-rock, a sonic blend torn open by our man's raspy voice, which immediately shows it can fill the whole amphitheatre on its own, accompanying the sun to rest before the night opens the dance floor to flows reminiscent ofPaisley underground of “Lose It”.

After a sinuous, psychedelic opening, the party explodes with the sprawling gospel-funk prayer of “Scream (Funk My Life Up)”, one of the undisputed crowd-pleasers. We're only on the third song and the audience is already on its feet; “Now It's A Party!” is the triumphant cry of an exhilarated Nutini, which precedes the R&B rhythms of “Acid Eyes”.

The bittersweet night of the bedroom that portrays him alone among his instruments on the album cover now comes to life and steps out into the street to dance away all its melancholy with unstoppable energy.

“Stranded Words (Interlude)” is in fact a dialogue made of electronic palpitations between Paolo and the night, an invocation to banish loneliness through a desolate yet heartfelt “I Need You”, to which the night responds, softly whispering back with the chorus of its stars at the close.

“Radio” is yet another track impossible to stand still to, which then gives way to a candid acoustic moment with a flavour of boulevard Parisian cabaret, in which Nutini and his guitar perform a cover of “Dream A Little Dream Of Me” and “Last Request”, taken from his debut “These Streets”, before being joined by another pair of acoustic guitars and the drummer, igniting “Coming Up Easy”, introduced with the playful threat “This is a song from my second album, you better know it”, which confirms Nutini's desire to go back to having fun with his audience.

“Cherry Blossom”, “Petrified In Love” and the medley “Jenny Don’t Be Hasty/ Teenage Kicks/ New Shoes” form another infectious triple bill, in which the electricity unfolds amid comical little dances (“As You Can See I Worked On My Dance Really Hard”, Nutini exclaims) and flowers thrown onto the stage by an audience that is a very active protagonist of the evening.

The intensity of the crescendo of “Everywhere” fills the amphitheatre with the lights of torches (though a few unrepentant nostalgics won't give up waving their lighters as if they were the Olympic flame), while a Nutini caught between ecstasy and emotion warmly thanks for the lightshow.

As per ritual, the band leaves the stage, but is immediately called back by the loud chorus of “Seven Nation Army” (Popopo).

“Through The Echoes” and “Iron Sky” become steeped in an exhilarating nocturnal epic quality, like U2, before the Springsteen-esque “Shine A Light” finally fills the stage with stars.

Nutini, evidently moved by the audience's great response, grants an off-the-cuff encore and sings a sweet “Guarda che luna” with a Scottish accent, accompanied only by his guitar and an improvised sax, which, after a false start, generates a charming little exchange in which the artist recalls his Italian roots, remembering how as a child his mother used to call him “bischero” whenever he made a mistake.

Paolo Nutini and his band are literally perfect, tight, energetic, fun and clearly having fun themselves, a true party under the moonlight. The rest is down to the splendour of Lake Garda in the background and the ecstatic crowd that doesn't leave a single gap in the venue: and there you have it, a great concert served.

Nutini's Italian tour will continue in July in Pistoia (16/07), Rome (19), Bologna (20), Servigliano (22), Trani (23), Caserta (25) and Taormina (27), before returning to our shores again in September at the Fabrique in Milan (30/09): we highly recommend you don't miss it.

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This article is an English translation of the original Italian text by Matteo Contri, published on OndaRock.it. It was translated with the help of artificial intelligence, under the editorial responsibility of OndaRock's editor-in-chief, Claudio Fabretti.

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