A BATTLE OF SONGS: GREECE VERSUS THE USA OVER 2000 SHOWS IN LONDON WITH LOUCAS LOIZOU Hilton Hotel Until 18 Mar 2017 Review by Anthony Vawser A title like this one may have you thinking ‘Eurovision Song Contest’ but you’d be far from correct. National flags for the two ‘battling’ countries are discreetly draped on the stage, but it’s merely a case of alternation between one and the other, with a ‘voting’ process that consists of audience clapping. The music here is performed solo, all live, all acoustic, and all heartfelt. Loucas Loizou generates a pleasant effect with his guitar technique, which ranges from soothing to intriguingly idiosyncratic; this is not a musician who is afraid of being flexible and creative with rhythm and tempo. He can create drama by holding back until the end, then placing a musical emphasis that lingers long. The prevailing mood is one of understatement and wistfulness, with the main exceptions being, intriguingly, Mr Loizou’s own two compositions that finish out the evening in vigorous and muscular fashion. Song selection is mostly a good balance of the familiar and the different. Introductions are helpfully informative and impressively detailed, though are sometimes just a tad too quiet, even when amplified. On opening night, Mr Loizou appeared to be battling a periodic case of gravelly rasp, which may have limited the impact of some songs, but his experience and quiet confidence as a performer shone through. Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)