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, 4th 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:
Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
YouTube
RSS