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Hozier: Koko, London

Stevie Chick, The Guardian, 12 September 2018

ONCE A CHORISTER, Andrew Hozier-Byrne ultimately followed in his father's blues footsteps and swapped allegiances to the music that sells its soul to the devil at the crossroads. But with his breakthrough song — the five-times platinum 'Take Me to Church' — an impassioned anthem in support of gay marriage in Ireland, Hozier is still on the side of the angels. And there's a mettle to his “message” songs that transcends his earnestness, lending him a crucial substance beyond the Jeff Buckley busker he sometimes threatens to be.

Total word count of piece: 373

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