Amy Macdonald at the Royal Albert Hall

In a surreal pink haze at the majestic Royal Albert Hall, Amy Macdonald – the soft-spoken Scottish dynamo with the magnificent, commanding voice – charmed an enraptured audience of devotees who could barely stay in their seats. The building was on fire from the start with Macdonald’s lively, energised performance; in fact, there was so much movement the floor of the Hall was trembling, something to be said for such a massive venue.

With a huge acoustic guitar nearly engulfing the petite star, she was accompanied by three guitarists, a keyboardist, a drummer and a cellist, and the artist’s incredible vocals were showcased with songs from albums This Is the Life, A Curious Thing, Life in a Beautiful Light, and her latest, Under Stars.

Youth of Today, a soulful folk tune sung with passionate brilliance was followed by the uplifting and fast-tempo I Wish I Knew You Before, with its Scottish regional flair, both from her first record. Dream On, an excellent energetic, optimistic country rock number from her new album exhibited her evolution to a more sophisticated level in her work. The title track from 2012’s Life in a Beautiful Light is quintessential Macdonald – romantic, playful and upbeat – and with her fabulous band she lit up the room with it while concertgoers danced like teenagers. She followed this with the poetic Slow It Down, another crowd-pleaser.

To deep red lighting, one of the songwriter’s best pieces played live, 4^th of July, rocked the Royal Albert Hall with its exuberance, and particularly highlighted Macdonald’s supreme vocals. Pride was another sweet number about love and Poison Prince a fast-moving break-up song with a strong Europop vibe. Showing the influence of Bruce Springsteen on the singer and revealing a tougher side, her recent release, Automatic, was robust rock.

Saving some of the best for last, the two encore tracks – from Under Stars – were mesmerising. With support from the amazing singer Juliet Roberts, Down By the Water revealed a spiritual slant and Prepare to Fall powerfully displayed the singer-songwriter’s gorgeous voice. Macdonald delivered a stunning, effervescent show and the stately elegant Royal Albert Hall provided the perfect stage for such a talented performer. 

Catherine Sedgwick
Photos: Guifre de Peray

For further information about Amy Macdonald and future events visit here.

Watch the video for Down By the Water here: