From Sound on Sound: Hozier Shines Ethereal Light on the Festival

Hozier’s Sound on Sound performance was nothing short of transcendent. With excellent sound quality, high-contrast lighting, well-produced background visuals, and a stunning accompanying band, Andrew Hozier-Byrne — better known as Hozier — lived up to the high anticipatory energy that greeted him from the festival crowd.

The setlist was a masterclass in controlling audience energy as sections varied in intensity throughout the performance. The first portion of the set was loud and powerful, with a blue hue over the stage and fog obscuring the faces of the band, providing a mysticism that suited Hozier’s musical style especially well. He began with “De Selby” off his latest album, which featured booming drums with vibrations loud enough to feel in your bones. This energetic strength continued as the artist played “Jackie and Wilson,” “To Be Alone,” and a few other pieces that fell within the generally intense domain. During this portion of the show, Hozier moved around on stage but did not seem to have any fixed choreography, instead concentrating his focus on his awe-inspiring vocal technique.

By Courtesy of Stella A. Gilbert

The energy took a softer turn as the stage lights faded to near-black, speckled with stars and a reddish hue, while Hozier, now alone onstage, began to play “Cherry Wine.” As couples swayed and fans sang along, everyone seemed to let out a collective sigh of relief during this section, as Hozier’s gentler pieces provided a break from the intensity earlier in the set. His live rendition of the ethereal hit felt surprisingly intimate, as if he was singing to each one of the hundreds of audience members individually. “Work Song” was an equally powerful ballad, reintroducing the soulful accompanying voices of his talented band alongside a beautiful background of pink and blue lights.

After the softer respite, Hozier played some of his more upbeat pieces, including the relatively new “Eat Your Young,” and old favorite “Would That I.” Through subtle rhythmic changes and unique emphasis on certain lyrics, Hozier’s performance of each song felt novel, as if he was making this music from scratch in front of the Sound on Sound crowd. His accompanying band felt cohesive as well, evidenced by their impressively synchronized clapping and snapping during “Almost (Sweet Music)” that left the audience bouncing along.

Regretfully, there was one hiccup in Hozier’s performance, and it took place before the singer even took the stage. In the 10 minute interval between Ben Harper & the Innocent Criminals’ set and Hozier’s, staff members rolled out filming stands with tall scaffolding that completely blocked the view of the majority of the stage from the first several rows of the audience. Despite the protests of fans who had stood the entire day waiting for front row spots to see Hozier’s performance, the stands remained in place for the full duration of Hozier’s set, with a camera operator and tripod set up on each, recording the band. Many in the crowd were audibly disgruntled throughout the performance, justifiably so given their dedication to stand for up to seven hours to reserve their spots. Hozier appeared sympathetic, moving around on stage a bit throughout his set to be more visible, but the frustration of many audience members was palpable.

All seemed to be forgiven, however, by the time Hozier performed his final song, “Take Me to Church,” the masterpiece that first skyrocketed the artist to fame a decade ago. Although Hozier never explicitly discussed the meaning behind the song on the Sound on Sound stage, the audience clearly understood his message, with one fan in the front row waving a large pride flag throughout the song, an act which Hozier recognized with a smile. The large screen behind the artist played chilling compilations of protests as he sang, breathing new life into the once-overplayed chart-topper. With unmatched energy from the crowd, an intensely focused band, and Hozier’s own raw power, the song left many audience members with hoarse throats and tear-stained eyes, a triumphant finale to a glorious overall performance.

—Staff writer Stella A. Gilbert can be reached at stella.gilbert@thecrimson.com.