Since hearing the captivating alternative folk of Jose Gonzalez Heartbeats I felt instantly compelled to listen to what else his debut album Veneer had to offer and see what this masterful Swedish-Argentinian singer-songwriter was capable of. As you can probably imagine the thought of seeing him play live at Newcastle City Hall with front row tickets at a mere £13.50 seemed rude not to take advantage of.

The auditorium was packed to the brim with a buzzing atmosphere as though virtually everyone had already predicted the outcome that Gonzalez would put on a fantastic show. Unfortunately our seats meant the view consisted mainly of the bottom of the stage, though at the right angle it was possible to see the man himself and at least half of his guitar. However it soon became clear, I could've been blindfolded and it wouldn't have mattered, to listen to his voice accompanied by the skilful playing of his classical acoustic guitar was all I needed.

The concert was nicely divided into three sections, opening with Dead weight on velveteen and continuing with other songs featured on the album including All you deliver, Remain and Love Stain. The visuals and lighting were simplistic and set the tone and mood as Gonzalez took the audience through a powerful range of emotions through some of his definitive songs. Judging by the crowds' response the pivotal moment seemed to be the encore when he delivered his cover of Massive Attack's Teardrop, which was greeted by overwhelming applause and cheering from the crowd. However, for me personally it was his cover of Kylie Minogue's Hand on your heart that simply blew me away. As great as the 90's original is, his ability to turn the pop lyrics into a completely different melody and bring such a greater meaning to every single word brought me close to tears. It was simply amazing.

His voice and guitar are so effective together and when joined on stage by a pair of percussionists providing some light bongo accompaniment this simply added to the essence of the songs. Gonzalez was consistently brilliant throughout the entire performance, the fact that hearing him live was as clear and beautiful as the album itself showed he needs no fine tuning to smooth over what some artists simply cannot hide when performing live. Performing his new single Crosses was a prominent moment also when his concise picking of the guitar came across louder and stronger than any of the other songs. The final song was none other than a cover of one of his listed influences, Joy Division, strumming away to Love Will Tear us Apart again brought sheer delight to the crowd and applause in abundance, with a truly deserved standing ovation at the end of the show.

Quite simply one of the greatest musicians to be born out of Sweden in its entire musical history, the whole concert was simply stunning. He played everything I had hoped to hear and more. With the success of a top ten album and debut single it's perfectly clear that he has a remarkable career ahead of him. If you haven't already heard what this man can do, I suggest you buy the single or even better the album and decide for yourself just how truly impressive he really is.