Belsonic 2012 - Emeli Sandé
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Emeli Sandé, Foy Vance, Duke Special
Custom House Square, Belfast
Thurs 16th August 2012
August in Belfast has various traditions. One of the more modern ones is , and unfortunately one of the older ones is rain, which is pretty much ever present this evening. It starts during opener and continues in varying degrees of heaviness throughout the rest of the night.
The Dead Weather-esque ‘Hand Of Men’, with a 60s Rhodes sound throughout opensÌýDukes set, and ‘Apple Jack’ demonstrates his humour, interrupting his terrors of alcohol warningÌýby having a swig himself, and plenty of the typical Duke Special kookiness. He goes walkabout through the crowd during ‘Diggin’ An Early Grave’, perhaps in an attempt to elicit a reaction from the rather quiet and bored audience. Not even an inspired version of ‘Love Will Tear Us Apart’ can shake the apathy shown towards a man who has headlined here previously.
The crowd is much livelier for , but it’s not clear why. He may have an excellent voice but he unashamedlyÌýtugs at heart-strings repeatedly with inoffensive Americana that clearly appeals toÌýa large numbers of people but washes over as background music. The odd interesting idea in intros – a bit of percussion, or some bow-work on the guitar – is never developed, and although we can hear his passion for the genres (soul and gospel) and the music, the writing doesn’t do it justice. An inevitable solo acoustic song without the backing band is really just an exercise in vocal gymnastics, and his attempt at sweetness in bringing his daughter on to play percussion is just a cloying grab at the emotions.
Ìýrecenlty had aÌýpretty big role in the Olympics closing ceremony, and her huge voice booms between the buildings of the outdoor venue. The modern soul of ‘Tiger’ has the crowd eating out of her hand, and ‘My Kind Of Love’ gets them dancing with its dance tinges and everyman lyrics. In contrast her earliest song, ‘Daddy’ is much harsher, a raw, defiant slice of dance influenced R&B. ‘Read All About It (Part III)’ turns into a sodden singalong, and ‘Mountains’ does the same, as she has a knack for catchy song-writing. ‘Where I Sleep’ is given a reggae treatment, segueing into some Bob Marley and even a touch of rave as she tries valiantly to bring a bit of sunshine to us. Although it’s unsuccessful, no-one seems to care as she finishes with ‘Next To Me’ in the pouring rain. It might have been her first visit here, but the crowd will hope it’s not the last.
William Jonston
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