KT Tunstall @ Wulfrun Hall, 24th October 2010
A sold out crowd awaited the arrival of indie-pop songstress KT Tunstall, but not before a support by the name of Slow Club. From the moment the two-some took to the stage, it was seen that everyone was in fact waiting for KT, the audience being dead and staring at an imposing group as the songs were put before them. Joking aside, no laughs were guaranteed, you obviously had to work for these, but saying that I’m sure that this is a band from the folk-pop zone which would work much better on record then in a live arena at this stage.
KT Tunstall is one of the artists that I struggle to place into one specific genre, and say who the range of people with which she would apply for, which from tonight’s viewing appears to be middle aged country-poppers.
Right from the off, she made it clear that tonight was all about the new songs which immediately put worry into me as in my view her first album was in fact her finest hour, but those worries were very much extinguished when the new songs actually get played.
Featuring some great sample techniques, using foot pedals, the new songs are catchy and springy whilst maintaining the woman’s dignity to not become a sell out. Opening with Glamour Puss, it shows how great a performer she is, in that she can operate with a full band or solo and still maintain the attention of all the audience. Producing stripped down versions of both big singles Black Horse and the Cherry Tree and Other Side of the World shows that however much you might think, she in fact doesn’t have to rely on these to become the crowd pleasers of old.
Banter was rife between songs, keeping the audience captivated however some songs were a little too slow for the live field but then I suppose that if she wrote these songs, she wants them to be heard. Adding in an Erasure cover of A Little Respect finally got the audience jumping and clapping and a much more carnival atmosphere to the occasions. Ending on hit Suddenly I See, I can reflect that KT is an established performer, with a dedicated fan base that love what she’s doing. And so do I.
Reviewer: Dan Earl
Photographer: Steve Gerrard