London Festival of Cabaret 2014: Julie Atherton at St James Studio

St James Studio hosted a spectacular evening of cabaret as part of the year-old event, the London Festival of Cabaret, featuring the immensely gifted and talented singer Julie Atherton in her show Tempting Fate. The performance was held in the basement studio, with a small lounge-like vibe that felt exclusive; the atmosphere coupled with Atherton’s stellar performance made the audience feel like honorary guests.

Atherton performed with a band featuring a pianist, a guitarist, two female backing vocalists, a djembe player and a bassist. The theatrical songs were voluptuous, her voice, angelic; such cathartic music was tear-jerkingly emotional. Yet despite that, Atherton had an absolute laugh – she joked around with the audience, performing some comedy to make the night more diverse. A few funny tunes, based on broken love stories and how men are evil, shone – she sang about the latter with a glass of red wine for comic relief.

Julie sang duets with other musical guests, all of which, unsurprisingly, were amazing. She put on a performance that catered to a small audience, but also felt like something that would have been absolutely fantastic to experience at the Royal Albert Hall.  Incorporating musical theatre into live music is a trend worth following, as Julie Atherton has proved. What a great show to go to on a Friday night.

 Joe Hoffman

For further information about Julie Atherton and future events visit here.

London Festival of Cabaret 2014 is on until 22^nd May 2014, for further information or to book visit here.

Watch the video for Lost in Translations here: