Face Of Cheam

Katie at the Carling Apollo (Hammersmith Odeon to the older readers) doesn't necessarily sound the most rocking of Thursday evenings. Her easy listening Jazz Blues saw the seats put back in the Odeon rather than the now normal standing. However, I kind of like her two albums with some meloncholic tones and the odd blues number. Opening up with Shyboy from her latest album I thought this would be a nice mellow gig and that's what we got on the whole. However the surprises being were that her set was laden with covers. Besides the expected Cure's Just Like Heaven and Canned Heat's On The Road Again which appear on her album Piece By Piece we got a Billie Gentry song, Beatles Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds and a fantastic version of the Stones 19th Nervous Breakdown. However the bizarrest choice was a song that she introduced as being number one ten years ago that day and her favourite from the 90s. After half recognising the verse it was only at the chorus I realised it was Babylon's Zoo Spaceman played in a slow Jazz manner. It worked surprisingly well. You can see that Katie, who resides in Redhill, is certainly getting bigger with each song having their own scenaric video played behind her and two big screens either side showing the show! (bit excessive for Hammersmith where you tend to get a great view wherever). Out of her own stuff the obvious Closest Thing To Crazy and Mockingbird (heard either side of the encore) were highlights. The audience were fairly reserved during the participation of the latter though given the average age was understandable. Katie certainly has the voice to do a really good blues set as shown on her version of Blues In The Night but no doubt that would lose some of her audience. Ending with a slow acoustic song about Eva Cassidy you could see this girl who went to Nonsuch has come along way.
A disappointment was that Mike Batt no longer plays in her band meaning no possibility of the Wombles theme tune. Finally her merchandise incuded three different plectrums advertised at £1. Catch being £1 each. needless to say no purchase was made!!!!!