Like A Star

Thursday evening and a feeling of déjà vu as, once again, Cam and I waited in line outside the Birmingham Academy. The wait was to be slightly more interesting this time, though...

A BBC van appeared on the other side of the road and, under the baleful glare of two stern-looking traffic wardens, a man jumped out and began to extend a long, aerial-topped pole from the roof of the van. Birmingham's local radio station, BBC WM, were doing a feature on Corinne Bailey Rae and a roving reporter had been sent to interview the people waiting to go in to the gig. Largely because we were the only ones to make eye-contact with the guy from the radio station - most of the queue studiously feigning great interest in their footwear as he approached - Cam and I were the chosen victims and were broadcast live to the West Midlands as we answered a number of questions about the venue and what we thought of Corinne. Interview over and with the radio guy safely out of earshot, Cam and I looked at each other and both burst into slightly hysterical laughter! (I managed to track down the interview yesterday on the 'listen again' facility of BBC WM's website. I sat there with toes curled, expecting the worst but surprisingly enough, we both sounded remarkably articulate. I don't think it's time to give up the day jobs just yet, though!)

Anyway, on to the gig. I was surprised when we got into the venue to find that Corinne was actually appearing in Academy 2 which is upstairs from the main venue and has an audience capacity of only 600. Still, I wasn't complaining; we were right at the front, with the stage a mere metre or so away and the intimacy of such a small venue only made the experience more special.

The support act was James Morrison and his band. (No relation to the infamous Jim Morrison of The Doors, as far as I know). They were the best support act I've seen in a long time. James has an incredible voice, very bluesy and soulful and, at the tender age of 21, he hopefully has a glittering career ahead of him. I'll definitely be buying his album as soon as it's released.

It seemed to take forever for the roadies to take James Morrison's equipment off the stage and tune up the guitars and double bass for Corinne Bailey Rae's band but at last the tiny stage was ready and was certainly filled to capacity with Corinne and her seven band members (a three-strong brass section, drummer, double bass/bass guitarist, lead guitarist and keyboard player) and two backing singers. Corinne herself looked simply amazing. She's far more beautiful in the flesh than she appears in her photos - very petite and elegant with a gorgeous smile that lights up her whole face. The entire set was completely faultless. The standard of musicianship was excellent and Corinne's voice sent shivers down my spine. The songs were all taken from the eponymous album, with the exception of a brilliant cover of the Led Zeppelin classic, Since I've Been Loving You (harking back to Corinne's roots in the indie guitar band, Helen). It was a perfect evening and ended all too soon, despite a two song encore. I left the venue feeling exceptionally privileged.


Like A Star - Corinne Bailey Rae (Corinne Bailey Rae, 2006)