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It’s not easy coming off of the back of a reality talent show as a loser and still
going on to have a career – yet the girl singing songs from her Tainted Cherry Tree has done just that.
Diana Vickers also boasted a #1 album and single heading into the back of this
London showcase and so naturally, intrigue was high.
The grotty Scala nightclub was perhaps not an ideal location for the gig, given
the amount of media types in suits walking around amongst the terribly
under-age girl fan base. So as the support act died out, observers and fans
alike clambered high and low to catch a glimpse of the quirky Blackburn lass.
Opening with the horrendous, ‘The Boy Who Murdered Love’ it
was quite apparent that her voice may not be suited best outside the comforts of
a studio.
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Live at Scala, Kings
Date - 12/5/10
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The backing band was an eclectic emo mix too – husky guitarist, geeky bass, ferocious drummer and exuberant keys. Still they
did faithfully reproduce and ‘Put It Back Together’ was a chance for Vickers to put that initial impression aside and she thrived
without the over-eager backing. Sadly, and it shouldn’t surprise her at such a media-rife gig, dancefloor anthem, ‘You’ll Never Get to Heaven’ received the sort of enthusiasm last week’s election had brought.
Still Diana was certainly enjoying herself and even misread the crowd as “buzzin” as she again went tender for ‘Four Leaf Clover’. Again allowing a bit of breathing space advanced matters, that was of course
until she did the dire Snow Patrol cover of ‘Just Say Yes’, which, contrary to Vickers’ enthusing, is bland. The performance was the usual ball of energy as she sung
for her life on the
upbeat ‘Remake Me+You’. Clearly a personal favourite, she gave it her all and it was an enjoyable
performance.
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Having good songs helps for a strong performance mind, as well as musical
dexterity, as trumpet-playing ‘My Hip’ proved. Even naming the poor thing, Vickers gave the quirky bridge life in
between breaths, though it should be noted, significantly less than the record!
Still it was a committed performance and a sweet rendition of ‘N.U.M.B.’ before launching into show closer, ‘Once’ was the cue for the floor to begin vibrating.
Vickers also treated us to a few monologues on the way, particularly before the
start of ‘Jumping into Rivers’ – a song wrote with Ellie Goulding about youth pursuits. Diana gave us a “rockstar” encore of the highly solemn, ‘Notice’, purely on the pretence that it makes her feel happy after a gig.
I imagine it would have left many of the audience in a similar vein and was a
smart way to end what was a hot, sweaty, yet quite enjoyable gig.
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(c) ChrisOnline.biz 2010
