Reviews
Artist:Imelda May
Venue:Mr Kyps
Town:Poole
Date:12/05/09
Website: http://www.myspace.com/imeldamay1
In fairness I do need to apply a caveat to this review. This gig was the first ever ‘Fatea Showcase Session LIVE’ gig. The first time Fatea has moved into live promotion and as such is directly linked to the magazine you are about to read this review in.
It was somewhat unexpectedly that I found myself initially watching Black Bart enroute to the highlight of the evening, Imelda Mae. This gig should have been earlier in the year on a date when I was working away. Unfortunately Imelda was ill that night and it got canned.
I was due to have been away this week, but that got canned as well. Tried to get tickets, but the event and an extra night had sold out so I resigned myself to an evening in front of the PC listening to cds when my phone goes off and I’m greeted with the silver lining in someone else’s cloud, because they can’t go and would I like the ticket.
Black Bart are a local band doing pretty damn well actually. It’s difficult to classify their sound, for which much kudos, but a best endeavours attempt would put them into the country rock thrash pigeonhole.
There’s a raw energy that explodes from the stage and into the recently refurbished Mr Kyps. It’s packed so there’s no space for anything you might call dancing, but there’s certainly a lot of movement going on in what is, obviously, an appreciative crowd.
It can’t be too long before Black Bart are headlining venues like this. They have a growing reputation and more importantly a growing following. It’s a great way to get the evening going. The support have done their job, the place is buzzing.
Imelda Mae is both visually and aurally stunning. Her rockabilly filly persona projects it’s self onto the audience, there’s a twinkle in her eye and a sparkle in her voice. She’s ready to go from nought to sixty and the audience is ready to go with her.
It’s not just Mae it’s the whole of the band. You can’t go wrong with a bit of slap bass, especially when you’re about to deliver rockabilly, skiffle, country and some good old rock ‘n’ roll. Throw in drums and guitar, a little bit of brass and even a tambourine and shaky eggs. It speaks volumes about what’s to come and there’s barely been a note played.
Mae flits effortlessly between her own material and covers. With the exception of Patsy Cline, I don’t know of another artist that can get quite so much emotion into “Walking After Midnight” without turning it to slush.
There’s a strong visual element to Mae’s performance, it’s not just singing, at times it becomes a lecture in stage craft. Hair flicks, the movement around the microphone, using hands and arms to add expression to the music.
None of which detracts from the main tool in her arsenal, her voice. Strong and powerful, but still caressing, sweetly enriched with an Irish brogue.
There’s a very genuine engagement with the audience. The band look like they’re enjoying themselves as well as being entertaining. Revival is the new black, Imelda shows that skiffle is and can be a living, bang up to date, contemporary genre as well as a nostalgic hook, similarly rockabilly.
She even finds time to have an affectionate dig at her Brummie bass player.
One of the evening highlights is when she gets out her bodhran, not because she is a particularly top player of the instrument, but more because it seems to free up her soul. Her face lights up and there’s a more defined sense of purpose about her use of the stage.
There’s a round of thanks dedicated to those she felt she’d let down when she was ill. The bass player almost puts his back out striking a pose and we’re into the encore.
“Tainted Love” provides an opportunity for the crowd to have a turn singing with the band.
Imelda Mae has what used to be known as presence. In a different date and time, shot in black and white she could have been Harlow. In the here and now she has poise, style and a voice to die for.