Album Review: Hector Gannet – The Great Shakedown

Album review by Sam Heppenstall

Three years on from the acclaimed “The Land Belongs To Us” – Hector Gannett and singer/songwriter Aaron Duff have re-surfaced with their third studio album – “The Great Shakedown.”

The overall production of the album is fantastic. There’s so much instrumentation in every song but it doesn’t feel too busy that it takes away from Aaron’s vocals and wonderful lyricism, it comes across as a hugely ambitious project which, in my opinion, is a raging success. The horns in particular that are dotted throughout the record, are exquisite – they give every song that they are featured in so much life and energy and really help to convey the overarching emotion of whichever song they are in.

I want to highlight a few tracks individually that make this body of work what it is. First of all, let’s talk about the title track – “The Great Shakedown.” What a tune! It’s the perfect song to kick off the album. Filled to the brim with energy from the electric guitars, the aforementioned horns and of course, the vocals/lyrics – which are exceptional.

The whole song from the first beat to the last, keeps your attention throughout – dynamically building up and dropping out at just the right moments to make sure the listener is constantly engaged – a brilliant example of how to not just write a song, but craft it as well.

Released earlier this year as a single, “The Mother Tongue” drips with Geordie pride. As an adopted Geordie myself of over six years, I can’t help but want to sing “Brother we were born, talking in the mother tongue’ at the top of my lungs, until my throat runs dry and until my voice cracks.

I am lucky enough to feel a strong connection to music, I get very intense instances of frisson when songs hit the right spots. Not just your typical goosebumps, but an overflow of emotion that manifests in lots of different ways, typically it’s tears.

“A Stitch In The Fold” made me cry on the metro the first time I heard it. It’s the ballad of the album, combining beautiful lyrics and vocals with vulnerable piano and delicate horns, it provides a safe space to feel. It acts as a shoulder to cry on, a pal to help you through something, a way to process whatever you’re carrying unencumbered by the fear of ridicule. This song is whatever you need it to be. It is without a doubt my favourite track on the entire record.

Hector Gannet will perform ‘The Great Shakedown’ in full at Gateshead’s Glasshouse Sage Two on 27 November 2026. (Find tickets and event details)

Listen to The Great Shakedown