CityLife

Eliza Carthy

WITH the lights still down, Eliza creeps onstage. The Bury Met spotlight focuses and Eliza opens her mouth. She is painfully croaky, her deep voice rasping. She folds her hands on her heavily pregnant belly.

The audience collectively hold their breath - please don't cancel, please don't apologise for having to call tonight off.

But instead she thanks the audience for traveling out to see her, takes out her chewing gum and elegantly sticks it to her mic stand, declaring 'it's for later'.

She begins with a song from Angels And Cigarettes, one of her albums of original material, the other being her latest, Dreams Of Breathing Underwater.

And despite the Soothers at her feet, singing seems easier than talking and the unaccustomed ear would be none the wiser.

The the band are introduced - drummer, accordionist and double bassist solemnly take to the stage.

A very short half leads crowd fears to be ignited again, and the audience are audibly debating whether this is going to be a disappointingly short set.

Gift of the gab

But thankfully the second half is much longer, primarily thanks to Eliza's gift of the gab for which she is renowned. From International Talk Like A Pirate Day to tales of drunken camaraderie, Eliza's humour is infectious.

When touring with the Ratcatchers, her musical colloborators would eagerly pitch in too, with songs and banter, but in this guise, Eliza is most definitely the star of the show.

Her dancing is subdued and the material calmer; sexual subtlety and bluesy riffs replacing the fiddle frenzy.

Set highlight is Mr Magnifico, the scene set by eerie speech from the drummer, Willy Molleson, and a clattering crescendo.

Eliza obviously sets a real distinction between her songwriting albums and her traditional, and it is only her self-penned material we hear tonight.

Yet the capacity audience are as enthralled as ever, and are keen to decipher which musical direction she'll take next - especially as motherhood is seemingly just around the corner.

What do you think? Have your say.

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