Louis Dunford - Love and Loss
Louis Dunford performed a sold-out show at Alexandra Palace on Friday, 11 April 2025 and Contact Music was there to witness it...
Louis Dunford concluded his tour of the UK and Ireland with a sold out show at the 10,000 capacity Big Hall at Alexandra Palace.
The London-born balladeer was promoting his newly released debut album 'Be Lucky' - and playing with a five-piece band.
The support was a young man called Jasper Hodges evoking small town living on the north Kent coast.
The headline act was roared onto the stage and opened with 'Superman' and then the opening chords of 'Bossman'. It seemed that every single person in the crowd new the words of the immigrant tales of life and loss – from corner shopkeeper, to Uber driver to the man minding the toilets in a night club.
Everything feels familiar as the set progresses into the warmth and empathy of 'Boys Do Cry' and 'Queer', "There ain't nothing wrong with being queer", and onto the clever wit of a so well told 'Regretamine', No it was not cocaine then the hall accelerates into the smashing of stereotypes in 'Billy Flynn of Bethnal Green' before every voice present sings along to 'Lucy'; a lyric so clear and vibrant, vivid and precise.
Louis Dunford
The place stills and quietens because the audience knows that there is tale to be told that the singer does not ever turn away from. He asks for quiet and for smart phone torches to be on and plays an opening chord alone on the stage.
A collective breath is taken and then everyone sings.
“There he was on a blood stained road
In the freezing cold, 16 years old”
Louis Dunford performing 'The Ballad of Benjamin', is just special. Something happens.
And then the show rocks on with 'When we were Hooligans' and then of the anthem to out anthem them all 'The Angel' and leaves on a laughing high note 'The Local'.
It is a show of rare of emotional depth, of London life, of love and loss. Brave and beautiful.
Go to louis-dunford.com/ for tour information and more.
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Louis Dunford - Alexandra Palace April 11 setlist:
Superman
Bossman
1999
Boys Do Cry
Queer
Rave Now Die Later
Regretamine
The Unlucky Ones
Freed from Desire (Gala cover)
PTSD
Billy Flynn of Bethnal Green
Lucy
Ballad of Benjamin
When We Were Hooligans
Encore:
The Angel
The Local
