Imelda May / Royal Concert Hall / Nottingham
In 2021 internationally renowned singer / songwriter Imelda May released her sixth studio album “11 Past the Hour” her first album in four years following the release of “Life Love Flesh Blood” in 2017. The new album is full to the brim with beautiful lyrics crammed with emotion, sensuality, spirituality and intelligence.
One of my favourite genres of music is Rockabilly / Psychobilly and I first knew of Imelda as a great Rockabilly style singer. Her early work on “Love Tattoo” and “Mayhem” is what got me hooked. Unfortunately (for me), this tour had little of the early work, but a couple of the old favourites to keep me hooked, instead focusing mainly on tracks from the latest two albums.
Imelda’s style has developed over the years, and now embraces soul, gospel, blues, folk and rock, and the list of A-List star singers that have collaborated in recent times is huge, with the new album including contributions from the likes of Ronnie Wood and Noel Gallagher. My favourite collaboration still remains the wonderful version of Beautiful Day with The Levellers. And what’s not to love about her version of Metallica’s “The God that Failed” on their 2021 release “The Metallica Blacklist” !
The one shame was the size of the crowd tonight. With not much more than 500 in the magnificent Royal Concert Hall, the top tier was closed and the stalls weren’t full. I don’t think it’s any comment on her popularity, but perhaps a still present nervousness for some to come out with Covid cases so high at the moment.
However, for those not there, they missed an absolute treat.
The set kicks off with 11 Past the Hour, title track of the latest album followed by Levitate and Black Tears from “Life Love Flesh Blood”, the latter being a beautiful, hauntingly sad track, delivered with such emotion. The lyrics intense portraying lost love so beautifully “Your kiss killed me on that night, as your lips left a bitter taste. And inside I'm dying, outside I'm crying black tears. How did it all go wrong, we seemed to have it all. But it's broken, and I'm running, and I'm scared”.
We’re treated to Just One Kiss a song about love and passion “Just one kiss, but what could come from this?” For fans of old-school Imelda, there were the old fan favourite in there too, with Big Bad Handsome Man, Johnny Got a Boom Boom and Mayhem, just as brilliantly delivered as ever.
The set design works so well, in its simplicity. Simple white see through drapes over projected screens, projecting images of the moon, flowers or birds to fit the mood of the song. During one section a wonderful deep red descended with a simple, almost neon sign like outline of a woman at the back, giving a feel of a club.
On a night of great songs, two stood out to me the most. First up, a delightful rendition of Human a song about acknowledging our weaknesses, and that we’re not perfect, that we’re human, and about wanting to be someone’s human. The lyrics once again are wonderful with lines such as “I'm a fallen angel, don't wanna be somebody's saint. I've tarnished my halo and my specialty is to take. But I want you to think of me as better than the rest, I've chased away my demons but i'm human at my best”. It’s a wonderful acknowledgement of the frailty of us all.
The second one was Don’t Let Me Stand On My Own. Written with Niall McNamee, who joined Imelda on stage with acoustic guitar to sing a duet. Niall is a great singer, and their tone works exceptionally well together. The song is delicate and beautiful in equal measure, as they sing about struggling with problems, but being there for each other through thick and thin.
The theme is of love and taking your chances in life, chasing a dream, and ultimately of being happy. However, as with Black Tears, the Track Should Have Been You from 2017’s “Life Love Flesh Blood” is another tale of lost love. Imelda’s lyrical ability to paint a picture is superb with lines such as “I'll never blame you and I always will, I can't explain it, but it hurts like hell. And I'm feeling so alone
Yeah, I'm lonely to the bone”.
This wasn’t a ‘best of’ show and I don’t recall any tracks from 2009’s “No Turning Back” or 2014’s “Tribal”. Having said that though, the two most recent albums are rock solid from start to finish, without a weak song on either, and it was an exceptional performance delivered with passion in her craft.
A beautiful performance showcasing Imelda’s immense talents so well. A wonderful, uplifting night.
Set List
11 Past the Hour (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Levitate (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Black Tears (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Just One Kiss (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Big Bad Handsome Man (Love Tattoo 2007)
Sixth Sense (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Solace (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Longing (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Human (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Different Kind of Love (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Don’t Let Me Stand On My Own (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Never Look Back (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Johnny Got a Boom Boom (Love Tattoo 2007)
Should Have Been You (Life Love Flesh Blood 2017)
Mayhem (Mayhem 2010)
Made to Love (11 Past the Hour 2021)
Bat Out of Hell (Meatloaf – cover)
Nina Cried Power (Hozier – cover)
Home (Poet-Music)
Diamonds (11 Past the Hour 2021)
In support we had sets from Niall McNamee and Rachael Sage.
Niall McNamee is an Irish singer-songwriter and actor known for his own passionate, thoughtful and full-blooded songs. Self-taught and supporting himself as an actor performing Irish folk songs he has developed a rich understanding of traditional music and used this in his song writing. With a fantastic voice and a easy going and fun interaction with the crowd it set the tone for the night well with songs about life, emotions and reflection.
His debut EP “Step By Step” is out on 14 May 2022 and can be pre-ordered here.
Niall returns for his own show at The Chameleon in Nottingham on 27 July 202. Tickets for the show are available here
Rachael Sage is an American singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and poet from New York. She is also the founder of indie label MPress Records. Rachael has released fourteen studio albums and her performances combine music with engaging conversation with the crowd and spoken word. Supported by just a violin, Rachael herself played piano, electric and acoustic guitar.
Her songs are beautifully crafted with excellent lyrical structure. Her style is unique and beautiful in equal measure. The only shame was it was a short support set. I would love to see her perform a full set in the future.
