Lzzy & Joe (Halestorm Unplugged) @ Engine Rooms, Southampton - 16/06/26

The Strange Case of Halestorm Unplugged: Lzzy & Joe Prove Less Is More

It has only been a couple of days since Halestorm played the second stage at Download Festival in front of one of the biggest crowds in the history of the band and yet, there is something magical about a stripped set in a small venue. Whilst bands spend years adding layers to their music (like bigger stages, larger productions and more lights and screens), eventually they discover that the most revealing thing they can do it take it all away and bring it back to the beginning. That was exactly the premise behind Lzzy Hale and Joe Hottinger’s intimate Halestorm Unplugged performance at Southampton’s Engine Rooms. There are no walls of Marshall amps, no pyro, no arena-sized theatrics and festival crowd; just two musicians, an acoustic guitar, a piano, a catalogue of songs and a room full of people who were ready to listen.

To understand why these unplugged shows work, it helps to remember where Halestorm actually came from. Long before festival headlines and arena tours, Halestorm were fundamentally a band built on songwriting; formed during Lzzy’s and Arejay’s teenage years, they spent years grinding through clubs, bars and any venue willing to give them a stage. Now, almost 30 years later, their craft is still what differentiates them from countless other bands. Relying on strong melodies, emotional and relatable lyrics and an absolutely breath-taking voice, there is no need for guitar pedals to distort the sound to make it grand. All that is needed was Lzzy and Joe to walk onto the stage and the whole room was ready.

Music aside, Joe and Lzzy have incredible chemistry on stage. Between the songs, the stories flowed naturally, surfacing memories of the band and the stories behind how many of Halestorm’s most iconic songs were written. Whether that was fun nights out, festival crowds, Lizzy’s love for her parents or exploring sexuality, the memories hit hard and the jokes landed, only to launch the accompanying songs even harder for the audience. The beauty of it was that each song felt like a rediscovery; songs that you thought you knew but with new details and sounds, as well as old gems that have not been performed live for a while.

The setlist was a well curated revisit of fan favourites, deeper cuts, and occasional surprises that created the sense that anything could happen next. If you were looking at setlist.fm to check what was on the cards, you were in for a surprise because there was a complete reshuffle. Going from dynamic songs such as “Like A Woman” and “Heart of Novocain” into more emotional piano pieces like “Shiver” and back into the electricity of “Do Not Disturb” and Fleetwood Mac’s “Gold Dust”, Lzzy Hale’s voice was a whole show on its own. Ending the first part of their set with “Freak”, a song dedicated to Download festival-goers, it was obvious that there was absolutely no need for spectacle to get the crowd going; and frankly, this is a skill on its own.

The second set was even more entertaining as some more fan favourites made their appearance. Starting off with a few emotional piano pieces such as “Dear Daughter” and Whitney Huston’s “I Will Always Love You”, Lzzy’s effortless voice proved how much power she carries. When Joe Hottinger rejoined her on stage, he proved how his acoustic arrangements completely transformed familiar songs without losing their identity. By reinterpreting the music, the duo was able to perform powerfully and reveal a new side of the band. The setlist consisted of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance”, and some other bangers including “I Miss The Misery”. From the opening song onwards, the crowd struck a near-perfect balance between enthusiasm, singalongs and respect for the spectacle before them. Even the quieter moments on the piano were met with genuine care and no need for constant participation.

Behind the production, the riffs and the arena-sized choruses, Lzzy and Joe proved that their songs are built to survive exposure and function even in rooms where there’s nowhere to hide. It is hard to command a smaller room with vocals alone, and yet nothing is impossible for Lzzy’s talent and prowess. For one evening in Southampton, Lzzy and Joe proved that when returning back to the basics, it is clear that they never needed anything else.