A classy night at a classy venue: it's the LeftLion way...
“She makes me feel things.” If Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Jake Peralta was talking about Katie Melua instead of Taylor Swift in this moment, the admission would join ‘impish charm’ and ‘unconventional attractiveness’ on the list of things he and I have in common. You see, since I was the age of six, and Melua’s debut album, Call Off the Search, dropped to critical acclaim in 2003, the Georgian’s music has been an emotion-inducing constant in my life. And, for a guy that failed to shed a tear during Marley & Me, that’s no mean feat.
If Melua’s melodies can evoke powerful feelings when listening to them through headphones, though, her live performances reach whole other levels of mesmerising - a fact hammered home in Nottingham’s Royal Concert Hall, where the voice behind The Closest Thing to Crazy and Nine Million Bicycles engrosses the audience across two hours of top tracks both old and new.
As well as nailing the aforementioned records that made her her name, with each receiving an enthusiastic reception from their very introduction, Melua confirms that her talent has not waned over the past two decades - with passionate performances of 2023’s Love & Money and Golden Record wowing the crowd as much as her chart-topping noughties releases.
If you’re sick of feeling dead inside, grab yourself a ticket to this tour - Melua is bound to make you feel things too
It’s been a few years since I first saw Melua, during her atmospheric In Winter tour, and the emotional rollercoaster the performer has been on in that time is a central theme of the night: The 38-year-old speaks openly about several insightful topics, including divorce, mental health challenges, and becoming a mother. During what is an intimate set, in an intimate setting, the audience feels like they’re getting to know the person behind the voice, and it’s refreshingly engaging.
Judging by the giant smile that occupies her face from the opening number to the final song, it’s safe to assume that Melua is relishing being out on the stage again too, and, as the set stretches on well past its planned curtain call, it’s clear to see that she’s reluctant to leave the stage. And we in the crowd are sad to see her leave.
So, while Peralta might (wrongly) stick to Swift, Katie Melua is still the primary sonic source of emotions for this guy - a sentiment that rings even more true when that source is in-person rather than on a record. If you’re sick of feeling dead inside, grab yourself a ticket to this tour - Melua is bound to make you feel things too.
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