Crying in the Corner Watching Searows at Hoxton Hall

Photo by Alex Frances

Words by Alex Frances

Searows, the moniker of Alec Duckart, is a captivating songwriter hailing from Portland, Oregon. His sorrowful, crystalline vocals and sombre lyrics leave you yearning for something past: warm tea on a stormy night, tall forests that meet the sea in October. It is therefore only fitting that, as autumn is ushered in throughout London and leaves begin to turn, Duckart embarks on a support tour with Tamino this month. Between these support shows, Alec is kind enough to perform a headline show at Hoxton Hall, which is where I find myself on a cool Tuesday evening this week (21.10.25). 

Hetta Falzon supports Searows this evening, who have joined Duckart on Matt Maltese’s Label  ‘Last Recordings on Earth’. The 21-year-old Songwriter hails from Somerset and currently studies at the Royal Northern College of Music. She opens up the show solo on keys, diving into her tender songs that encompass rejection, unrequited love and the awkward ending of a relationship with a less than exciting ex. Falzon’s vocals are syrupy, evoking the warmth of Laufey and Norah Jones. My standout tracks of the night, ‘I Hope You Notice Me’ and ‘Sobering’, show off the dexterity of her vocals and songwriting. Falzon, like Duckart, deals in vulnerability, making her a perfect companion act to open his show. The crowd remains respectfully silent throughout her set, almost hypnotised by Fazon’s croonings, and sets the tone for the rest of the evening. 

Track list: Freckles, Belly Laugh, The Rabbit Hole, Geography Quitter, I Hope You Notice Me, Sobering

Between Falzon’s set and Duckart’s headline show, it is clear the audience is anxiously waiting for his arrival. Every movement on stage (from a flicker of a curtain to someone in the team laying down a set list) is met with hurried gasps and sequestered screams. Alec arrives on stage 4 minutes past 9, and the anticipation in the crowd is felt throughout the room as shrieks come from the first few rows. Duckart opens the set in endearing awkwardness, a shyness that’s almost par for the course for indie folk artists, hints of smiles glinting through the fringe that silhouettes his face. His band (Soph – guitar, Remi – drums, and Marlow – bass) accompanies him on a setlist that no one has played before, and opens the set with ‘Martingale’, the opening track for his 2024 EP ‘Flush’. ‘I am starting to resent myself’ immediately reminds me why I like Duckart’s music. From his soft vocals, open tunings, and resonant harmonies, you don’t get any more vulnerable than this. Duckart writes like a page from a diary entry, the softness of his voice juxtaposed by the morbid sadness within his lamenting. His lyrics pierce you; punch you in the gut; make you want to scream into a pillow after arguing with your parents/best friend/partner. 

 ‘But if I got my fishing lines all tied around your throat, and you died there in that pond’  

Duckart follows up with ‘Photograph of a Cyclone’, an unreleased track from his new album ‘Death in the Business of Whaling’. ‘End of the World’ (from the same-titled EP) focuses on the anxieties of life—the sickening feeling of being unheard and of losing touch with yourself and others. Duckart doesn’t miss a beat; his vocals never falter, even though he is singing from the deepest depths of his life. Next is ‘Roadkill’, the second track off his 2022 debut album. Duckart is a storyteller first and a musician very closely second. He addresses the audience between sets, overwhelmed when switching between tunings and swapping over guitars – cheers come from his supporters, and he gracefully hides behind his humility throughout the show. 

Duckart follows with his most recent single, ‘Dearly Missed,’ and we are drunkenly thrown into the unfamiliar but welcomed direction of his new unreleased album. Bigger guitars, heavier drums, and more energy contrast with his acoustic/piano tracks from his earlier releases. His new tracks from the album include ‘Junie, ‘In Violet, ’ ‘Geese, ’ ‘Hunter, ’ and ‘Dirt’ (Acoustic), which all make appearances at varying points in his set (full setlist found below). We almost hear the whole unreleased album, and the darker instrumentation is welcomed by everyone in the crowd. There are moments within the set, noticeably during ‘Keep the Rain’, where I can hear crying from the audience. Sniffling noses, soft sobs – and a real moment of sincerity and emotional rawness that is present throughout the room.

As we come to the ‘final’ song of the set – ‘Dirt’ – Duckart jokingly asks us whether we want him to head off stage and feign an encore. I think every artist should be able to fake an encore and hear the sound of feet stomping on the ground, hands clapping and shouting ‘encore’ like children at a Punch and Judy show. He throws in a last-minute song ‘Coming Clean’, endearingly forgets the lyrics of the second verse, and the crowd sing along to help him. Each moment shared between Duckart and the audience is cherished and delicate, finishing off the set with his most popular track, ‘House Song’, and ‘Geese’ from his unreleased album. 

I’m glad I exist while Alec Duckart makes music. 

‘Death in the Business of Whaling’ comes out on the 23rd of January 2026, and you bet I’ll be listening.  

Setlist: Martingale, Photograph of a cyclone, End of the World, Roadkill, Dearly Missed, Junie, Kill what you eat, Keep the Rain, Hunter, In Violet, Dirt – Alec solo, Coming Clean – last minute addition, Geese – Alec Solo, House Song

Photos by Alex Frances