Amy Macdonald takes on London

Two years have passed since Amy Macdonald took to a London stage. Last night she did it again and she rocked it. An almost two-hour long live performance at Royal Festival Hall had the audience clapping, dancing and singing along.

Amy stepped on stage looking absolutely mesmerising in a glittering black outfit. Equipped with a pair of high heels, her guitar and accompanied by five musicians (Mark Kulke, guitar; Sam Embery, drums; Sims James, bass; Shannon Harris, keys; Owen Parker, keys/guitar), the Scottish star performed songs from her new album Life in a Beautiful Light, as well as older songs and fans’ favourites.

She kicked off the show with 4^th of July and went on with up-tempo, high-energy songs including the beautiful Poison Prince and Mr Rock & Roll – then moved on to an acoustic set, beginning with a solo rendition of Love Love. Even though the audience seemed to know all the songs, Amy surprised with a few stripped down versions of very well-known tracks, which kept the audience glued and asking for more. In fact, the last to be sung, This Is The Life was followed by such a round of applause that, to the audience’s delight, the star came back on stage and delivered three more songs.

Performing in one of the world’s leading performance venues, Amy proved to know how to work the stage and the crowd. The band put on a show which once again confirmed why the 25-year-old has “sold four million albums, conquered Europe and won countless awards”.

That could possibly be the fate of another star of the night, Amy’s supporting act, Kristina Train. Originally from Savannah, Georgia, USA, Kristina has spent the last few months in London working on her second album Dark Black, which was released just the day before the concert and is now available in the UK.

Kristina took the stage in a red outfit with black complements to which she made a comment about Remembrance Day and wanting to resemble a poppy. Looking a little timid and uncomfortable on stage, Kristina showed off her incredible talent. Starting from an up-tempo track, she went to some more lyrical yet demanding pieces which showcased her smoky, soulful and powerful voice – a perfect warm-up for what was yet to come: Amy.

Marlena Chmal
Photos: Adam Imiolo