The Beat Surrender

I never need an excuse to visit the City Varieties in Leeds for a gig, in fact if they announced that they were putting on a show which involved someone opening a packet of crisps I think I would be happy to attend. There is something wonderfully nostalgic about the venue and I hope if they get the money together for the refurbishment they have planned,that it’s a spruce up rather than a major overhaul.

Earlier in the year I reviewed and interviewed Helen Boulding an artists who has been around in the background for a few years but is now starting to make waves with her own music. It was her album New Red Dress that came under the microscope at the time, but I did say to myself at the time that if I got the chance to see her live in the right venue then I would.

And so it comes to pass that I got just that chance tonight, she’s playing the supporting role to Cara Dillon (a little more on her later), in this wonderful venue, a venue that is staffed by what looks like the oldest employee’s in the UK, but it’s these charming old dears that fit right in there, seemingly doing it more for the love of keeping this venue going than for the money.

Helen Boulding has had a bit of a nightmare journey to get to the gig tonight and that might account for the fact that she doesn’t come across between songs as the most natural show woman. Her anecdotes and comments are a little awkward, but ultimately they don’t take away from the music and her voice.

She mentions a coup0le of times that her album was record of the week on Radio 2 and with a couple of the tracks you can see why, What A Fool and I Always Look This Blue are made for the likes of Terry Wogan to purr over, but elsewhere her tracks do come alive.

Copenhagen remains my favourite, but i’ve also started to look at set closer This I Swear in a different light after tonight’s show, a brilliant way to close things down and it seems the audience in general have appreciated a good singer with a pleasant charm to her. During the interval she stops around to sign albums for people at the back of the small theatre and chats to anyone who approaches her, I know that shouldn’t be anything you wouldn’t expect but how many up and coming artists get a taste of the music industry and lose all sense of perspective.

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