I have seen many bands play a song or two down off the stage in the audience but I have never seen an artist start a set like that. But Nicole Atkins is not any old artist. She has got a sassy don’t give a shit attitude that’s sadly missing in the homogenised world of music at the moment. We need characters and personalities like Nicole to counteract the Swifts and Ezra’s of the world.
I’d like to describe Nicole’s voice and style but its equal measure of the dark soul of Amy Winehouse and the torch song qualities of KD Lang, add a dash of Patsy, a soupcon of Peggy Lee and there you have it. Vocal perfection. Tonight we are treated to the full range of her vocals, coupled with some great between song banter, stories and dad jokes.
She is joined on stage by what she describes as a scratch five piece band with the guitarist allegedly just joining them at sound check. If true then wow as he certainly had the licks.
The bulk of the set still draws heavily from the excellent ‘Goodnight Rhonda Lee’ from 2017 but tonight it’s interspersed with tracks from the new star studded album sadly not out until next year.
Highlights for me tonight are probably the Smokey jazz of ‘Darkness turns into day’, the funky ‘Sleepwalking’ and set closer Patti Smith’s ’Pissing in a River’ where she joins us back on the floor before just walking out the back.
An exceptional talent, a great voice, good songs and a thoroughly engaging performer. A tough live act to follow this year.
Just a word for the support act Caleb Elliott who turned in an excellent set tonight as well as accompanying Nicole in the main set. Again good songs with a voice that has a touch of the Ryan Adams about it without all the associated ‘dodgy stuff.
Till the next time keep on rockin y’all