ShareKatie Melua performing with the Gori Women’s Choir at The Royal Concert Hall Nottingham on Monday 3rd December 2018
Images and Review by Kevin Cooper
Last night Georgian Katie Melua delivered an intimate set which showcased her amazing vocals to a packed Royal Concert Hall who lapped up every minute.
In a show that came in two halves, the opening number was a solo rendition of If You Are So Beautiful sang in her native tongue which had this audience immediately mesmerized. And as she was joined on stage by her brother and fellow guitarist for Plane Song, the evening gathered momentum as her band joined her for a lovely version of Belfast.
Nine Million Bicycles evoked the kind of captivated hush usually reserved for a church, before she treated this respectful audience to a cover of The Cure’s Just Like Heaven. Introducing the Gori Women’s Choir who added another dimension to a five song segment that was just wonderful, in particular adding a layered warmth to Joni Mitchell’s River.
The first set was brought to a close with a cover of Shirley Bassey’s Diamonds Are Forever, which had the audience spellbound and hanging onto every single note that soared around the Concert Hall.
For the second half Melua, her band and the choir were on stage for Perfect World which was followed by a traditional version of The Little Swallow. Before an impressive backdrop of screens that filled the whole of the rear of the stage, songs such as I Cried For You and The Flood gently flowed into The Closest Thing To Crazy which got one of the biggest reactions from the audience with Melua’s beautiful and mournful sound being a real treat.
Finishing her main set with a cover of Black’s Wonderful Life which she approached with sheer perfection and precision, before encoring with Sting’s Field Of Gold, Maybe I Dreamt It and Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World.
If anyone was expecting an upbeat foot stomping evening then they would have been disappointed, but for those who wanted a chilled out relaxing evening of beautifully delivered music, then Katie Melua is a must see artist.
