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It’s easy to be love Hackman’s records. The English songwriter recently released her fourth release, 2024’s engaging and well worthwhile Big Sigh after only releasing an album of cover songs during the pandemic. The complexity of the lyrics with the layers of instrumentation really draw the listener in both haunting and melodic ways. However, it was even more apparent live how talented Hackman truly is. Her timing was both skilled and a little spontaneous at times with a back up band including a bassist, second guitarist, drummer, and her wife, Polly Mackey of opening band Art School Girlfriend, on keyboards. One of the best aspects of the band was when they filled in with vocal harmonies on so many of the tracks and made the lyrics sound even further. However, it also proved disarming to hear her play on her own for a middle section of her 90 minute set and it definitely gave of a more intimate feeling, even with a sold out crowd.
One thing that is important to mention is how diverse Hackman’s set and songs are. One minute, she is singing a super catchy “No Caffeine,” “I’m Not Where You Are,” “Hand Solo,” or “The One,” which are songs that sounds like instant hits. The next moment, you feel she’s describing super specific and individual life experiences that feel like a secret as in the case of “Blood.” “Wanderlust” was particularly effective as a solo performance and sent chills down this reviewer/photographer’s spine! In many ways, Hackman resists being defined and boxed in because of her versatility and uniqueness. She’s not fully a pop or rock star but she’s not always a folk singer either. Returning to divulging another almost eerie level of a personal sort of poetry, “The Yellow Mile” was played at the very end of their set and sang acoustically until the band joined in for the vocals.
It must be such a bittersweet experience to be at the end of an international tour as well, especially after not coming to the US in so long. Hackman paused her set a few times to actually raffle off some items from her tour (including a bass!!!) with some fun ones being a cactus, cat skeleton, sports ball, “party hamper” and a collection of DVDs. Saying goodbye to inanimate objects is not as difficult as departing from friends you’ve seen every day and night, however, and one could easily observe she and her band have grown close. As in the case of her songs, these were moments that were filled with what may have been relief for making it to the end (or getting to tell a secret story) and also the joy shared between humans who have bonded for so many nights in a row. Hopefully, Hackman will be back again soon!
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