Music
KT Tunstall
Kelvingrove Bandstand, Glasgow
Stuart Morrison
four stars
IN THE midst of this set of bouncy pop rock, KT Tunstall introduced the title track of her 2016 album, Kin – a rather beautifully introspective piece, centered on family, friends and how everyone relates to each other. It was totally lost on many of those present, intent, as they were, on braying at each other whilst ignoring what was going on in front of them, but it was a reflective moment in what was, otherwise, a high octane performance.
Tunstall is a hugely engaging performer, sprinkling her set with gags and stories. She had the crowd eating out of her hand from the start and they bounced, sang or waved their camera phones as required, despite an early attempt by the weather gods to dampen their enthusiasm. As expected, her set featured songs from the latest album, with the autobiographical, It Took Me So Long to Get Here, But Here I Am, the pick of them.
She told a great story of the circumstances surrounding her being summoned to replace a rapper on her breakthrough performance on the Jools Holland programme, in 2004, as an introduction to Big Black Horse and the Cherry Tree. After a false start, setting up the rhythm – "that’s too slow, a Tuesday tempo - this is the weekend!" – the looped percussion and vocals gelled and she really tore into it, cleverly segueing into White Stripes’ Seven Nation Army. It is still one of her finest moments, but run close by a cover of Erasure’s Give a Little Respect, on which she was joined by excellent support band Pictish Trail, and by her final song of the evening, Suddenly I See, the culmination of a fine evening’s entertainment
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