08 October 2010 (gig)
15 October 2010
When waiting patiently to see Imelda May, you can see small pockets of people dressed up in homage to her. Burlesque types, PVC dresses and corsets galore, you can tell that tonight is going to be a hoot. If you are unfamiliar to the ways of Imelda May, then visualise new age rock-a-billy with a bit of blues on the side.
With her new album ‘Mayhem’ suspended behind, Imelda and her band steps onto the stage to riotous applause. Dressed in a figure hugging, yellow pin up dress, crimson red lips and her signature quiff, she’s definitely not a shy lass. She opens her mouth and a combination of soft seductive vocals and a full on raw shrill explodes around the Forum. When she sings ‘Love Tattoo’, she puts her heart into it and is toe tappingly good. She always sings with such pride and passion and her band feeds off her gleaming energy.
‘Big Bad Handsome Man’ slows down her rather fast-paced rocky set. You get the impression that this is a song about her husband, who is the main guitarist in the band. It is a slow, mysterious number, where her vocals are toned down a bit, and she moves around the stage slinkily. It seems like the audience appreciate more of her rock based tunes than the slow ones, which is why when she plays ‘Sneaky Freak’, the Forum starts to bop. She stomps and struts around the stage and her crowd follows suit.
With each song that she shares with her listeners, she gets stronger and more confident, so much so that she whips out an acoustic guitar, to play ‘Don’t Do Me No Wrong’ and declares: “I don’t normally play guitar. I’m rubbish, but I’ll give it a go!” Her next offering is a song called ‘Kentish Town Waltz’, which is about her time living in the area. It is a slow, touching tune and is just a simple beauty.
Nearing the end of the set she does a blend of old and new. The up beat ‘Psycho’ to her successful single ‘Johnny Got A Boom Boom’. The latter gets the whole place on its feet and dancing. The ambience is electrifying and when it is finished, the band looks truly touched by the overwhelmingly positive response and leave the stage.
They quickly return to play a jazzy/blues version of ‘Tainted Love’, which is featured on Mayhem. The song is slowed down and made into an unbelievably sexy number. She makes the song her own and everyone adores it. As the set comes to a close she passionately says: “Thank you very much. This is a night I’ll never forget. Thank you and goodnight!” Her band take a bow and the Forum are taken back by the glory and brilliance of Imelda May. Perhaps this gig, has given her the reassurance she needed that all her hard work has now amounted to something great.
