aaamusic | On 18, Aug 2010

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London, 12 August

Kirsty Almeida is described on her Myspace page as an enigmatic, true eccentric, playing a timeless spectrum of soul, folk blues and voodoo pop. On Thursday evening she took to the stage at the Jazz café to put this to the test.

Following the unexpected, but excellent support from a performance poet wearing a giant tea cup hat, Kirsty Almeida took to the stage swathed in darkness. As the lights began to flicker on and the menacing, fuzzy strains emerged from the guitarist, trashing around at the front of the stage, I dropped all my pre-conceived ideas of what the evening would entail.

Once the full lights came up, Kirsty and her seven piece band tore into an energetic dance along. Once revealed, the group were an impressive sight. Kirsty herself looked like a something out of the wild west in her old-fashioned dress and feathered hat. Her band were just as arresting, all in a deliberately oddball array of suits and sinister Venetian masks.

The scene set, Kirsty and her band then worked their way through various of songs from the up and coming Pure Blue Green album. The blissful ‘Cool Down Rewind’ was an obvious highlight, as was the enjoyably threatening ‘If You Can’t Make Me Happy‘. ‘Shine All Your Light’ however was a little too sickly sweet.

A mid-way cover of Plan B’s ‘She Said’ fired up the audience and was well suited for Almeida’s sexy swagger.

Almeida was a joy to watch. Her eclectic musical tastes and great voice would be enough, but she peppered this with moments of wild, sensuous dancing and engaging banter with the crowd.

After the prerequisite ‘pretending it’s the end of the show‘, Kirsty Almeida returned alone to the stage. After introducing her dad who was in the crowd, Almeida then dedicated to him a delicate solo performance of ‘Josie Brown’ a gentle song filled with childhood memories.

Following this the rest of the band returned to the stage and set ended as it had begun, with two songs ‘for dancing’. An excellent end to an impressive night.

Author & Photos: Laura Oliver