Paloma Faith, Apollo Manchester 23 01 2013

[John]

Dressed in resplendent yellow, Paloma was off to a good start before the concert even began. She messaged on Facebook encouraging people to remember to take photos, a splendid change from concerts where cameras are viewed as the devil's instruments....So a Pentax Q with 5-15mm lens went with me.

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The support act was Josephine, who was professional but not really my sort of music. She started on time, finished on time and then in due course Paloma Faith started on time to the minute. That too is a refreshing change. Back to the resplendent yellow, a shoulderless dress that defied gravity throughout a lively performance but added the spice of looking as though it might fail to do so at any moment.
That voice! Incredible, powerful and moody, definitely expressive and delivered with power and confidence. It's been a long tour already, with performances every night, so the upper registers were a bit clipped and there were note changes to protect her voice, but that never detracted from the delivery. Not quite note perfect, but musically excellent, and very nearly note perfect. Paloma sang, and sang and sang her way through almost 90 minutes, bouncing and dancing with energy as she sang. The style of the burlesque performer is there, but toned down considerably now. It was all about the music, with some chat that was amusing and endearing but that never got in the way of the music. Fanbtastic pinaist who seems to always be there, and also the female bass player who also seems to be a fixture in the basic band. Very tight and great support for the vocals.
Highly recommended and very true to the recorded sound. A very nice touch when she climbed down off the stage and sang to the audience from within the front row, walking across the seats. very brave!