I must admit this gig would have completely passed me by if it hadn't been for a couple of friends inviting me along. I was not, up until last night, familiar with Jane or her work but thanks to my friends I had a great night and I can't wait to see Jane perform live again.
Having been at the Kitchen Garden Cafe less than a week ago where Kath Bloom performed to a about ten people it was great to see a good crowd last night. We managed to find some seats not on the front row (front row means you are practically sitting with the microphone between your legs) and waited.
First up was a singer songwriter from Birmingham. He did introduce himself but I cannot remember his name. Although his songs were well formed and he performed them adequately I could not connect. This may be because there was little interaction with the audience (other than to say he was moving to France and had a place in Snowdonia) or because he looked as though he did not want to be there and rushed through a short set of about four songs before leaving the stage.
A short break and it was time for Jane. I warmed to her instantly. Jane, Rob (percussion and ukulele) and Robin (double bass and keyboards) have a great chemistry on stage. They joked amongst themselves but did not exclude the audience. It made the gig feel relaxed and informal.As I am still not up to speed with her work I could not tell you the set list but her songwriting and her voice draw you in. Sometimes fragile, sometimes powerful as she sung, a million and one comparisons came to mind. Tori Amos, Harriet Wheeler of The Sundays and even Nina Simone on the odd occasion. However, this is a disservice to Jane. Rather than compare her to others what I should say is that she can hold her own with any of the great female singers you care to mention.
As usual the evening passed far too quickly. I left with a smile on my face and a resolution to learn more about her work. Next time she plays Birmingham I will be first in the queue!
