REVIEW
IMELDA MAY
MADE TO LOVE TOUR
CLIFFS PAVILION, SOUTHEND ON SEA
13th APRIL 2022
IMELDA MAY
MADE TO LOVE TOUR
CLIFFS PAVILION, SOUTHEND ON SEA
13th APRIL 2022
There is a crescendo of birdsong as we hear spoken word from 11 Past the Hour, the title song of Imelda May's latest album before she gracefully adorns the stage dressed in a fabulously flowing black silk and chiffon number to continue to rock out the rest of the song. She is a vocal powerhouse and exudes a stage presence that is completely absorbing.
Since her last tour she has produced an EP of her poems entitled Slip of the Tongue proving what a great wordsmith she is. Her poetry serves as a 'quick change' filler throughout the evening and is clearly something that she has a passion and talent for. One of her poems, she tells us, was turned into the song, Solace, co-written with Pedro Vito after a night out getting drunk with U2.
The songs from the new album, which was actually released in April last year, are scattered between songs from 2017's Life. Love. Flesh. Blood album such as Levitate, Black Tears, The Longing, Human and Sixth Sense, all proving to be popular with the audience.
The newer songs also hit the mark with the fans in the audience. There are lots of creative and spiritual vibes coming through from the new album; Breathe is written from the perspective of a tree; "Lead in the air as you drive around town, In the rain complaining you can't get around, Is the sky getting lower or are you getting higher, Your mind's getting smaller as time's ticking by.." Just one Kiss which was recorded featuring Ronnie Wood and Noel Gallagher is probably the best known from the album having had lots of radio play. Don't Let Me Stand on my Own was written with her new partner, Niall Joseph Mcnamee. It's a beautiful song with wonderful harmonies, and she sings this with the band's guitarist, Donny Little, who did a pretty good job considering he seemed to be struggling with a sore throat. Speaking of which, half way through the evening, Imelda develops a little cough and asks for her 'chalice of mead' to be brought to her. We laugh. She's not joking.
This is what we love about Imelda, she says it how it is. The rake of the Cliffs Pavilion stage is so steep she has to kick off her shoes after the first few songs; when the audience get up and dance to Johnny Got a Boom Boom, a firm favourite with the rockabilly fans, followed by It Should Have Been You, a few fans are told by the management not to dance in the aisle. May flat out stops singing and tells them to keep on dancing. "Don't stop, if you wanna dance, dance!" she cries as she urges the band to keep playing. As though the song couldn't be even more emotionally charged, the audience fuelled by May's stand, all get up on their feet too to join the revolt. May comes from a family of rebels, she tells us later on, and it's obvious that a little thing like dancing in aisles is pretty low down on the scale of issues to protest against. Yes, Imelda!
The encore brings us Meatloaf's Anything for Love, followed by a cover of Hozier's Nina Cried Power and the evening ends with May reading one of her poems, Home, written for a friend's wedding, about the meaning of love. It is beautifully written and mesmerising to listen to. It's hard to believe that this softly spoken Dubliner is the same person belting out rock and roll, soul and blues numbers with such ease. This tour seems to have a more intimate feel than previous ones; despite the angst in a lot of May's songs, there's a sense of well being and sereneness seeping and enveloping throughout this time around. You get the idea that Imelda May would be just at home doing her thing in a BoHo coffee lounge as she would in a huge capacity arena.
Ending the night with the soulful ballad, Diamonds, it's pretty obvious that this Southend audience would be there for Imelda May wherever she performs.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
Since her last tour she has produced an EP of her poems entitled Slip of the Tongue proving what a great wordsmith she is. Her poetry serves as a 'quick change' filler throughout the evening and is clearly something that she has a passion and talent for. One of her poems, she tells us, was turned into the song, Solace, co-written with Pedro Vito after a night out getting drunk with U2.
The songs from the new album, which was actually released in April last year, are scattered between songs from 2017's Life. Love. Flesh. Blood album such as Levitate, Black Tears, The Longing, Human and Sixth Sense, all proving to be popular with the audience.
The newer songs also hit the mark with the fans in the audience. There are lots of creative and spiritual vibes coming through from the new album; Breathe is written from the perspective of a tree; "Lead in the air as you drive around town, In the rain complaining you can't get around, Is the sky getting lower or are you getting higher, Your mind's getting smaller as time's ticking by.." Just one Kiss which was recorded featuring Ronnie Wood and Noel Gallagher is probably the best known from the album having had lots of radio play. Don't Let Me Stand on my Own was written with her new partner, Niall Joseph Mcnamee. It's a beautiful song with wonderful harmonies, and she sings this with the band's guitarist, Donny Little, who did a pretty good job considering he seemed to be struggling with a sore throat. Speaking of which, half way through the evening, Imelda develops a little cough and asks for her 'chalice of mead' to be brought to her. We laugh. She's not joking.
This is what we love about Imelda, she says it how it is. The rake of the Cliffs Pavilion stage is so steep she has to kick off her shoes after the first few songs; when the audience get up and dance to Johnny Got a Boom Boom, a firm favourite with the rockabilly fans, followed by It Should Have Been You, a few fans are told by the management not to dance in the aisle. May flat out stops singing and tells them to keep on dancing. "Don't stop, if you wanna dance, dance!" she cries as she urges the band to keep playing. As though the song couldn't be even more emotionally charged, the audience fuelled by May's stand, all get up on their feet too to join the revolt. May comes from a family of rebels, she tells us later on, and it's obvious that a little thing like dancing in aisles is pretty low down on the scale of issues to protest against. Yes, Imelda!
The encore brings us Meatloaf's Anything for Love, followed by a cover of Hozier's Nina Cried Power and the evening ends with May reading one of her poems, Home, written for a friend's wedding, about the meaning of love. It is beautifully written and mesmerising to listen to. It's hard to believe that this softly spoken Dubliner is the same person belting out rock and roll, soul and blues numbers with such ease. This tour seems to have a more intimate feel than previous ones; despite the angst in a lot of May's songs, there's a sense of well being and sereneness seeping and enveloping throughout this time around. You get the idea that Imelda May would be just at home doing her thing in a BoHo coffee lounge as she would in a huge capacity arena.
Ending the night with the soulful ballad, Diamonds, it's pretty obvious that this Southend audience would be there for Imelda May wherever she performs.
REVIEW: KIM TOBIN
More info on tour here
Our photographer, Clarissa Debenham, was at the Cliffs Pavilion, Southend to capture the gig, pics below.
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All photos copyright Film Free Photography - contact [email protected]
All photos copyright Film Free Photography - contact [email protected]