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“I’M a dirty attic,” Cate Le Bon states on the song of the same name. Indeed, this commanding performance from the Welsh singer-songwriter sounded as if she’d gone through a loft's worth of classic 1960s and 70s vinyl, cherry-picking the best.
Supporting, countryman Alex Dingley was a quiet revelation. Foregoing loud showiness in favour of great songwriting that just didn’t need it, Dingley’s blend of piano-pop and lo-fi jangle had that strange feeling of building to a big chorus, only to evade it in favour of a more idiosyncratic route. A warm stage presence charmed a criminally small early crowd.
This wouldn’t be a problem for our headliner as a packed venue was hit with a gonzo set veering from Velvet Underground artiness (Nico comparisons none more fitting than on the woozy How Do You Know) to Sparks weirdness on Wonderful, the theatricality of the music combining winningly with our host’s laid-back charisma.
A talented band featuring the likes of Stephen Black (AKA Sweet Baboo) provided tight back-up, evoking the simultaneously creepy and delightfully catchy guitar sound of breakthrough album Crab Day. A hypnotic rendition of What’s Not Mine became a fitting crescendo to the UK leg of a tour that deserves to be world-conquering.
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