Russell Crowe’s Indoor Garden Party at Shepherd’s Bush Empire

There’s something undeniably charming about an A-list actor partaking in a musical side project, especially under the semi-anonymity of a band. Perhaps it’s the way their passion for the craft far surpasses the acclaim or rewards they reap from gigs in small, indie venues. Or maybe it’s the duality of the raw, unfiltered energy that emerges when an actor pours their heart into their music, revealing a side of themselves that often remains hidden on-screen.

A musician since the 80s, Russell Crowe was one of the earliest actors to take to the concert stage and among the latest to tour with his group, the Gentlemen Barbers. Described by him as “an event, a band, a happening” with fluidity and changing personnel, his summer tour, the Indoor Garden Party began at the Colosseum in Rome in June and has now returned to the UK and Ireland for the first time in seven years.

In the night of song and story, the music may come from a band, but the narrative is all Crowe. He is particularly excited to perform Southampton, a track from his newest album, Prose and Cons, for the first time. He describes it as having a certain subtlety to it, which is why he chose to debut it in the intimate atmosphere of Shepherd’s Bush Empire rather than at the Colosseum or Glastonbury. Supported by jazz chords and smooth, complex arrangements, Crowe delivers raw, wistful verses detailing a fling that went up in flames when she chose to travel to Southampton instead of meeting him at a more romantic destination. 

Crowe’s melancholic crescendos and lyrical nuance, including referring to the Hampshire city as “probably a real nice place”, form a playful contrast with the snarky monologue he used to introduce the song, in which he declared that Southampton would not make the top 500 travel destinations in the world. His deep voice, which could easily overpower softer sounds, is well-complemented by his band’s rich instrumental backing, comprising acoustic and electric guitars, traditional folk instruments, and Lorraine O’Reilly’s raspy powerhouse vocals.

While many can remember Crowe turning down the role of Johnny Cash in James Mangold’s Walk the Line out of respect, few know that this admiration was mutual. Amidst his wide-ranging monologues, the Hollywood star recounts receiving a letter from the country icon after Gladiator had hit the cinemas, in which Cash mentioned that he and his wife enjoyed the film so much that they watched it three times in a weekend. The band also performs a cover of Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues, featuring Crowe’s modifications to the classic country song’s chords and lyrics. He explains to the audience that he has been performing this song since the 80s, when he was busking on the streets of Sydney to pay for rent and food.

True to the tour’s storytelling spirit, the setlist embraces covers and weaves them between original tracks. The intense vocal interplay of Crowe and O’Reilly gives a distinctive twist to Amy Shark’s and Blink-182’s Mark Hoppus’s Psycho, adding a layer of complexity to the original track’s stripped-back, mellow sound and lyrics that practically drip with teen angst and adolescent heartbreak. From the frontman’s soliloquy-like presence during the band’s rendition of Dire Straits’ Romeo and Juliet, accompanied only by piano, to his encouragement of the crowd to turn on their phone flashlights for Let Your Light Shine, the atmosphere is dynamic and almost improvisational, guided entirely by Crowe.

Christina Yang
Photos: Filippo L’Astorina

For further information and future events visit Russell Crowe’s website here.

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