KT Tunstall @ Brighton Dome 10/11
Well after a series a hard rock gigs it was nice to have a
change of pace and a bit of variety, and what better way to provide that than
enjoy an evening in the company of KT Tunstall. On tour supporting her new
album ‘Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon’, there was a selection of new songs alongside
a smattering of old favourites. Brighton
Dome was packed and the crowd wasn't disappointed.
Before her though there was support from a new artist to me;
a guy called Billy Hackett. He ambled on stage and seemed a bit shy at first
but he let his music do the talking and I have to say I was really impressed. He played from the heart with songs written
about his dad, “how rubbish record companies are” and one influenced after he
helped a soldier propose to his girlfriend (video is YouTube). He won the crowd over with his
nervous charm and seemed genuinely thrilled to be on tour, “it’s changing my
life,” he commented. He finished with a surprise cover of The Lumineers ‘Ho Hey’
which I particularly enjoyed. I really liked him and will definitely be keeping
an eye out for him in the future.
KT Tunstall was next on stage and played a set consisting
mainly of songs from her latest album ‘Invisible Empire//Crescent Moon’.
Although I am not as familiar with the album as I am with her previous material
I enjoyed it all the same. She told the story of how she made the new album in
Arizona using old reel tapes. “I never want to see a computer when I’m making
music again. You don’t make music with your eyes that way.” She also mentioned how she forgets the lyrics
to her older songs. When someone shouted out a request, Tunstall replied,” When
I write new music, my head is filled with the new songs and doesn’t have much
room for old ones. I have to Google my old songs to find the lyrics.”
Playing an acoustic solo show, without a backing band, she
provided all the backing beats herself; either banging her guitar or using a
percussion instruments. It was the same set up as her television debut back in
2004 when she appeared on Live… with Jools Holland. It was impressive to watch
and provided a very gentle atmosphere, something which matches the mood of the
new material.
While the new tracks were well received, the old favourites
went down very well. ‘(Still A) Weirdo)’ was preceded by an anecdote about her “weirdo
of the day”, Brighton’s being a busker ‘playing’ the pan pipes while smoking a
cigarette; “he could of turned it off, but he didn’t care!”
‘Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” received a big cheer, particularly
when she incorporated a version of ‘Seven Nation Army’ halfway through using a duck
type whistle (it has a name which escapes me) to recreate the famous riff. She
then played fan favourite ‘Suddenly I See’ during the encore, which had
everyone on their feet… after a bit of encouragement. I particularly liked the
way she captured the audience singing along so she could use it as her backing
singers, as on the studio version.
Overall it was a brilliant evening’s entertainment. Having
been to a number of loud rock concerts recently, it made a real change to go to
a totally acoustic concert where it was just the singer, a guitar and piano
(Not played at the same time… well apart from once). The new album has a more melancholy
sound to her previous material but that didn’t stop her putting on a good show.
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