Emeli Sande @ O2 Academy, Birmingham – Tuesday 26th March 2013

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From performing at the Olympics to being the best selling album of 2012 in the UK, Emeli Sandé has been going from strength to strength in recent times. Raised in Scotland, she originally came to the public eye through appearing on Chipmunk’s 2009 track ‘Diamond Eyes’ whilst also writing and performing with artists such as Wiley, Rihanna, Leona Lewis and Tinie Tempah to name but a few. But it was the release of debut album Our Version of Events, early last year which flung her into the charts and into becoming a successful singer songwriter, hence the reason that tonight’s concert at the O2 Academy Birmingham has sold out. But first we’re treated to Birmingham act Jacob Banks, a 21 year old singer-songwriter with flavours of contemporary soul and acoustic with a cutting voice that has a lot of character and emotion within it. A collection of covers from Bob Marley and Rihanna are well received, whilst his own songs also deliver, particularly a track called ‘Something Beautiful’. Definitely a name to look out for in the future.

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So onto the lady herself. However before I do, I must have argue a few points that I don’t think helped Emeli Sandé in her best interests. A concert for an artist of her genre, namely soul, and attracting the audience that she does, being older, the O2 is not a venue adapted for this type of performance. Seemingly most of her audience would have leapt at the chance to sit and enjoy the music rather than stand and fight for a view, and it was obvious that many people were disappointed in the view that they had for the price they had paid (£30). Also the PA system at the O2 is much more adapted for rock and pop genres, and I found that the sound was sloppy and inconsistent in terms of her band, which could be down to her sound engineer or the ability of the acoustics in the venue. I would argue that the sound would have been much better in a venue such as Symphony Hall.

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Now that that’s over, I can say how absolutely amazing Emeli Sandé is live. Her voice is incredible and the only time a shiver has gone round my whole body upon somebody singing. A captivating storyteller and entertainer, the songs spoke wonders for both her vocal performance and melodic excellence as she powered through songs from her album and beyond. Opening with ‘Heaven’ the set with littered with light bulbs hanging, and a huge backdrop that was very subtle in creating a vibe to the stage set. The lighting tonight was excellent, complementing the performance perfectly and making the show seem much larger and professional than it maybe would have without. A personal favourite moment for me was ‘Clown’, tears filling up in everyone’s eyes, Sandé highlighting her songwriting abilities at her best. Performing recent Labyrinth collaboration ‘Beneath Your Beautiful’ showed a different side to the night, with her backing singer taking up partnering vocals, whilst ‘Wonder’ ended the main set with a vibrant and energetic high. Ending the encore with ‘Next to Me’ allowed the audience to stretch their lungs, and show their appreciation to an excellent performer.

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Any act who gets a bigger applause on her return for an encore then when they first take to the stage, to me shows how strong the performance tonight was. Honestly one of the best I have seen in a long while, and am glad to say I saw her in a smaller and intimate setting, even if it suffered in some areas. Excellent. Bloody excellent!

Review by Dan Earl

Photographs by Ian Dunn

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