Beth Rowley @ Birmingham Glee Club – 25th May 2008
Beth Rowley is the new hot favourite on Radio 2, which admittedly is a fitting but limited location for her. Oozing talent, charm and a refreshing natural beauty Beth Rowley quickly captivated the mass of onlookers packed into Birmingham’s Glee Club.
The obvious and predictable comparisons for Beth are unfortunately and inevitably Amy Winehouse, Kate Nash, Adele and Duffy. But those fortunate enough to enjoy the opening night in Beth’s first headline tour may place her more fittingly with Dusty Springfield, Etta James or even Karen Carpenter.
I personally have never watched a performance that was so obviously enjoyed by the performer. Everything from her orange super hero dress and dimpled smile to her little shoulder-shimmy and uneasy audience interaction made her amazingly endearing.
In the intimate setting Beth showcased a voice that didn’t necessarily shine through on her new album. Her incredibly powerful, chocolatey smooth and almost spiky voice turned the album tracks into deeply soulful and emotive pleasures. Regardless of how much you enjoy “Little Dreamer”, hearing the tracks performed live by the childlike singer elevates them to new heights.
By no means was the performance note-perfect, particularly on ‘Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground’ which featured the Support act Foreign Slippers’ Gabi Froden (who by the way is well worth a look, a kind of Baez-esque singer from Sweden). The girl’s voices just didn’t sound right together despite the gorgeous collaborative effort on “I Shall Be Released”.
Telling the audience about her efforts to learn harmonica was shortly followed by a blundered attempt to incorporate the instrument into ‘Almost Persuaded’. Caused mainly by microphone feedback and lack of confidence the failure did nothing but inspire affection in the audience. The sympathy was tangible as she closed the song and left the stage for a moment. Beth showed us all that perseverance wins the day by picking the harmonica back up later in the set for a more successful attempt. Beth’s amalgamation of gospel, blues, soul and pop made for a thoroughly contemporary performance and I predict the only way is up for this charming and extremely talented woman.
Set List:
Sweet Hours
You Never Called Me Tonight
So Sublime
Nobody’s Fault But Mine
Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground
I Shall Be Released
Little Dreamer
Oh My Life
When The Rains Came
Only One Cloud
Almost Persuaded
I Would Rather Go Blind
Beautiful Tomorrow
Review – Cherry Barrett
Photos – Bianca Barrett