Here at BuzzBeat we haven’t witnessed live music, other than through a computer screen, since early March 2020. So when we heard singer/songwriter Luke Friend was playing at the Pear Tree Cafe in Battersea Park yesterday, we of course had to go down and review it.
Eight years since his X Factor debut, the Devon-raised musician has taken on a role of different adventures. From joining the GreenDay inspired musical production of American Idiot to more recently being a part of new alternative rock band Yellow Belly.
Currently though, you can find Luke in Battersea Park’s Pear Tree Cafe every Saturday until September, which is exactly where we found him yesterday evening.
We arrived at the already packed outdoor area of the cafe half an hour before Luke’s set was due to start, to see the musician setting up his trusty guitar on the main stage, comfortably situated in front of the park’s charming boating lake.
Luke’s 3 hour set consisted of mostly classic covers that by the end of the night had the entire crowd singing along before demanding an encore not once but three times. Eagle eyed Luke Friend fans would be sure to spot that he included “Basically Older”, an older original song of his, as well as his X Factor audition song “Stand By Me” by Ben E. King.
His renditions of songs such as Oasis’ “Wonderwall” and “Mr Brightside” by The Killers, had a number of the crowd being told to sit down (due to Covid-19 rules) multiple times, as the musician’s engaging stage presence and raspy vocals (not to mention those impressive high notes), had many people wanting to stand up to dance along.
At the end of the night, the musician took the time to stay and chat to the many members of the audience, who came up to meet him and express how much they enjoyed his performance.
If you’d like to check out a performance for yourself, Luke’s set is every Saturday (6pm-9pm) until September, in Battersea Park’s Pear Tree Cafe.
Website (No bookings needed): https://www.peartreecafe.co.uk/summer-evening-music-battersea
(All photos are my own)
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