John from Poulton

Anyone who has heard her recorded work will know that she is sublimely gifted as a writer and singer, but there's a certain distancing effect there that renders her admirable rather than likeable.
Live on Friday, though, she was warm and funny and elegantly sexy. And still sublimely gifted - To... [more]

Event Date: December 5, 2008
Event Venue: Brudenell Leeds

Anyone who has heard her recorded work will know that she is sublimely gifted as a writer and singer, but there's a certain distancing effect there that renders her admirable rather than likeable.
Live on Friday, though, she was warm and funny and elegantly sexy. And still sublimely gifted - To Be Lonely brought a sometimes-rowdy venue to breath-bated silence. Appearing with just a drummer and a bassist (both of whom were wonderful) gave her voice all the room it needed to sound even more expressive and rich-toned than it is on record. If you were looking for faults, the first part of Anyone, which sounds better the slower it's sung, was a little rushed, but even so it was still like heaven for ears; this is the best female artist working in popular music today. [less]

This just didn't work: the band came on late, the sound was soupy and they gave a listless, unengaged performance to a crowd that never got the chance to warm up. After playing a perfunctory  35 minutes they closed the set with a cynical 'We f---ing love you, Preston!'... [more]

Event Date: 10/12/2008
Event Venue: Preston Poly

This just didn't work: the band came on late, the sound was soupy and they gave a listless, unengaged performance to a crowd that never got the chance to warm up. After playing a perfunctory  35 minutes they closed the set with a cynical 'We f---ing love you, Preston!'

If you really f---ing love us then maybe you could play a full f---ing set (and put some f---ing life into it). [less]

Highlights: seeing the sisters on the pavement outside the venue beforehand, talking into their mobile phones; the support band of five brothers of a certain age singing acapella at a volume no human throat should  be able to produce; sitting unknowingly next to the sisters' dad for the first... [more]

Event Date: March 28, 2009
Event Venue: Leeds

Highlights: seeing the sisters on the pavement outside the venue beforehand, talking into their mobile phones; the support band of five brothers of a certain age singing acapella at a volume no human throat should  be able to produce; sitting unknowingly next to the sisters' dad for the first half and (luckily) not musing aloud at the hypothetical delights of an Unthank sandwich; Sufjan Stevens on the interval mixtape; some top, top clogging.

And the music was great too, though that probably goes without saying. [less]