Words and Photos by Faith Chapman
Ending his first “proper,” which he announced on his Instagram, U.S. Tour in Brooklyn, New Zealand-born artist Will Swinton, walked onto the smoky stage as the beat to his song, “Flames,” began playing. The packed crowd at Brooklyn’s Baby’s All Right, starts cheering as they feel the rhythm. The audience stands in awe as Swinton starts singing with his deep raspy voice and sings along to his lyrics. Will Swinton captivated the audience while performing his heartfelt songs, such as “Daydream,” “Can’t Let Go,” “Hate My Guts,” and many more.
Between songs Swinton shared a story about how he landed himself in Los Angeles. A record label contacted Swinton and said they enjoyed his music and asked when he was going to be in L.A. again. Swinton told them he’d be there in two weeks, despite not having a planned trip. The musician quickly sold his car, bought a flight to L.A., and stayed at his manager’s place for a month and spent time writing his music.
After his last song “Slowly,” Swinton and his band rushed off the stage, but the crowd asked for an encore. The fog machine started up again and Swinton and his band came running up to play two more songs. “September Song” was a slow ballad piece that Swinton wrote for a friend’s wedding where he performed live for. Knowing that the song was a slower song, he then sang a more upbeat song, “Better Off,” and encouraged people to sing and dance along. That was his final song of the night.
Swinton stayed after and took photos and talked to fans after the show. While he was interacting with the fans, the band packed up quickly due to another show being scheduled shortly after. Swinton’s willingness to stay and interact with the fans afterwards, demonstrated his gratitude and enjoyment of connecting with fans.
Loudspeaker Collective 