I’ve always felt quite an affinity with Corinne Bailey Rae.  To have both studied English Literature at Leeds, and to often see her pass in the street or to speak at my place of work, she is an artist with more of a footprint in my personal life than most.

Seeing her on Friday night, this affinity was blown out the water. The crowd for Leeds’s favourite daughter was full of connections of a greater scale. Large portions consisted of her friends and family, whist the remainder clearly held her in total admiration; evidence that her music breeds empathy, nowhere more so than in her home town.

Leeds Town Hall was a suitably opulent location for such an elegant performer, the domed ceilings both an acoustic and aesthetic aid. Whilst the £25 price tag was a little out of budget for much of Leeds’ younger population, the crowd showed a variation of ages, a testament to her wide appeal.

Corinne opened with ‘Been to the Moon’, setting the tone for an effortlessly powerful yet incredibly graceful performance. She then progressed into ‘Closer’, everything a live version should be, as clear and crisp as an album recording without compromising on passion.

As the set progressed, a personal highlight was a stripped back version of Bob Marley’s ‘Is This Love’, before an injection of pace with ‘Paris Nights/ New York Mornings’ set feet tapping and bodies swaying.

Towards the night’s end, the focus shifted from Corinne to the musicians joining her, with a yearning guitar solo from John McCloud particularly impressive. The captivated crowd were then urged into the performance, the later songs encouraging refrains performed in the audience, before Corinne stepped down from the stage for ‘Trouble Sleeping’, which evolved into a chant of ‘don’t say I’m falling in love’. With her husband Steve Brown behind on keys, I have a feeling that’s it’s a little too late.

Reece Parker

(Image: Austin Live Music)