Alison Moyet @ Birmingham Symphony Hall – 27th November 2009

My motivation for wanting to review Alison Moyet tonight, was pure curiosity. As one of the most successful British female vocalists of the 1980’s hence a memorable part of my childhood, I was interested to hear her perform live some twenty years on. Right on time, the band take to the stage starting with Footsteps, Moyet walks on to rapturous applause and her vocals let rip. Instantly, you are reminded of the distinctive qualities of her voice, it is incredibly rich whilst encapsulating a certain raw, blues element which is reminiscent of a smooth Janis Joplin. The power flows throughout Footsteps and into One More Time, after which Moyet unleashes her sense of humour upon the audience, discussing her unplanned hand gesture which caused her to feel slightly uncomfortable during the last song. Alison doesn’t have to work hard to win the crowd over as her voice and wit have managed it in just two songs; however she seals the deal with a stripped down version of the Yazoo track Only You.

After Should I Feel That It’s Over and Hoodoo, Moyet plays a jazz centred version of All Cried Out which, despite being a beautiful adaptation, loses the essential angst which is at the core of the song. The set continues with Fire, a fantastic cover of LeGrand’s The Windmills Of Your Mind, and Find Me, leading into Moyet playing the introduction of Dorothy on the harmonica, only to stop halfway through claiming she thinks she can play it better; making her even more endearing to the audience. Love Resurrection follows shortly afterwards, displaying the dramatic aspect to Alison Moyet’s voice but yet again, I felt the track was lacking a certain heaviness, possibly due to the lack of volume given to the keyboards. The backdrop and lighting has been simple and effective during the set, ensuring your focus remains on Alison, who is dressed elegantly in a plain black dress; however, I find myself wanting to be transported out of the sterile environment of the Symphony Hall to a dingy, smoke-filled underground Parisienne club where Moyet’s voice truly belongs. This feeling is heightened by That Ole Devil Called Love, in which she encapsulates the essence of jazz greats without losing her own style.

This House and Almost Blue lead on beautifully to the wordy but powerful Ode to Boy followed by the Yazoo classic, Don’t Go. At this point, various members of the audience are dancing and clapping along encouraged by an enthusiastic Alison. The set draws to a close with the hits Is This Love? and Weak In The Presence Of Beauty, finished off with You Don’t Have To Go hitting hard with a discordant piano line and a guitar solo which allows Moyet to leave the stage in an understated manner. After a brief interlude, Moyet and her band return to the stage to a standing ovation and rapturous applause, during which someone shouts out for Invisible. This leads Alison into a witty diatribe about why she doesn’t perform the track anymore and ends up in a brief but highly amusing cockney version of the song. The encore consists of Ne Me Quitte Pas and Whispering Your Name, neither of which disappoint and as she leaves the stage, I doubt there is anyone in the audience who would question her status as one of Britain’s finest female vocalists. Moyet’s musical style is not to everyone’s taste; however, the power and depth of her voice is undeniable and the last two hours have been a fantastic demonstration of why she is still performing after all this time.

Review – Toni Woodward

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