Providing the final chapter to this summer’s series of live music at York’s Museum Gardens was Yorkshire legend Richard Hawley, and he was supported a cavalcade of impressive up-and-comers.

By Graeme Smith and Miles Salter

Photos by Stuart Duthie

I said about Thursday’s Elbow show that perhaps it’s the supports that we should look out for this weekend in York and I think Saturday proved the point. The three acts who warmed up for Richard Hawley were individually brilliant and collectively coherent. A post-punk undercurrent ran through all three, even though they each had a unique and interesting sound in their own right.

An unknown to me, Edinburgh’s Hamish Hawk started things off with a lively performance that combined post-punk, poetry and an almost Divine Comedy-esque sense of camp. Hawk oozed charisma and near the stage it was clear that his fanbase had turned up. It was a strong start to the evening.

I saw BC Camplight on the main stage of Deer Shed Festival last year. This time, he had a modest, more stripped-back line-up but still rocked a sound that’s a bit like the Hold Steady or Ben Folds. Confessional lyrics, powerful piano and plenty of stage stunts meant the energy of the evening didn’t drop.

Then it was time for English Teacher, a name you’ll recognise if you follow the Mercury Prize. The Leeds-based act were winners last year with their debut album This Could Be Texas. Winning the prize often proves a death knell of promising acts, but English Teacher are bucking the trend in that regard. They were alive and kicking for a dynamic set that involved plenty of instrument swapping, poetic storytelling and Northern grit.

And this was all before the headline act, Richard Hawley, came on stage. Kudos to the organisers for getting it so right with the supports. GS

Richard Hawley wasn’t without his insecurities on Saturday night in York. Addressing the faintly static nature of his live  show, he noted ‘it’s not like Timmy Mallet, all prancing about’, one of several self-deprecatory remarks during his set that made the audience laugh. Hawley and several band members were dressed in red, in honour of departed football star Diogo Jota, who died tragically the day before in a car accident (Oasis, playing Cardiff the night before Hawley’s gig, also paid tribute to the Liverpool star). Hawley noted that the good things in life come down to ‘music and football… but mostly football.’ 

Hawley and his band shared a brisk 90-minute set that focused on his fourth album, Cole’s Corner, released in 2005. The songs, which are influenced by early rock ‘n’ roll crooners, Sun Records, blues and country, and a singer called Sanford Clark, have a presiding melancholy. This was echoed by photos of bands from the ’60s projected behind the band. But there’s also something very romantic about Hawley’s songs, and as he played big, heartfelt songs like the enticing Open Up Your Door, there were numerous couples in the audience with arms around each other. As the sun sank over Museum Gardens, the stone walls lit by colour lights, it was a gorgeous way to spend a summer’s evening. The lady next to me, who had a jug of Pimm’s which she kindly shared, had a big smile on her face, and declared it one of the best nights of her year. MS

Hamish Hawk, BC Camplight, English Teacher and Richard Hawley played at York Museum Gardens on Saturday 5 July 2025.