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On Sunday 16th April 2017, Leah McFall arrived in Brighton for the penultimate date on her 2017 INK Tour, which was entirely promoted by herself, selling out 4 of the dates, without any promoters backing her; a truly incredible feat. She was also supported throughout the tour, by local artists, including Taylor Barker (singer of band La Plage) and singer-songwriter, Callum Stewart.
Taylor Barker (singer of La Plage)
Taylor Barker took to the stage rather modestly, yet her voice was a sonic powerhouse. Usually part of the band, La Plage, tonight she performed alone with her guitar but she showed off some impressive skills. The sounds she made with the guitar, backed up her vocals beautifully – it certainly didn’t feel like she was performing alone. A thrilling opener for the evening.
Callum Stewart
Next to grace the stage with his keyboard, was Callum Stewart, a Brighton-based, Northern Ireland-born singer songwriter.
Although his performance got off to a bit of a shaky start, with a dodgy pedal, he quickly recovered, putting on a rather impressive display of self-penned songs, alongside a country cover I’d not heard before. His chats with the crowd were, at times, humorous and he’s definitely got a sound I’d like to hear more of. A talented guy who’s definitely going to be one to watch!
Leah McFall
Leah McFall took to the stage with a roar of excitement from the crowd, singing her debut single, ‘Home’ mashed-up with Aaliyah‘s ‘Try Again’ – instantly letting the audience know they were in for a treat with her show.
She then went on to perform a couple of tracks from her recent EP, INK; ‘Happy Human’ and ‘Bottle It’, having the crowd singing along to every word. She continued by performing some new songs to see what the crowd would make of them, insisting that she wanted to try them out and feel the audience’s reaction.
Her humorous banter with the crowd was fantastic and felt like a truly personal interaction, keeping the crowd laughing. Her cover of Gloria Gaynor‘s ‘I Will Survive’ had people singing along, however her closing song (a unique version of her infamous cover of Minnie Riperton‘s ‘Loving You’ from her days on The Voice) had everyone held in the palm of her hand, waiting for those trademark whistle notes.
The whole show was a treat to behold – such a powerfully effortless voice; it is undeniable, Leah McFall has got serious talent and you must catch her on her next tour.
Highlights (Watch out, there’s many!):
- Leah’s incredible vocals just captivated the audience, keeping them hanging on every note.
- Each time she performed a whistle note, the audience burst into rapturous applause, and she did them so perfectly, she made it look almost easy.
- Her between-song banter was so on point and witty that she had the crowd in hysterics.
- Her songs were incredible – the band were superb and her voice was impeccable – it’s definitely given people a taste of more original music to come.
- My favourite song of the night was ‘Weird To Wonderful’ – I need a studio version of that song!
- Leah’s genuine and, at times, rather emotional appreciation of her fans was endearing; you could tell she meant every word of gratitude for their adoration and support.
- Her insistence to meet and greet every single fan (who wanted to meet) her after the show, really demonstrated a reciprocal dedication to her loyal fanbase – needless to say, the queue was epic!
Setlist
Home/Try Again
Happy Human
Bottle It
Rubber
Fair Trade
Language
Weird To Wonderful
No Ordinary Love
Colours At A Funeral
I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor Cover)*
Wolf Den
Solid Gold
INK*
Loving You (Minnie Riperton Cover)*
* Parts of these songs can be viewed on the YouTube playlist, below.
Finally, I want to say an absolutely HUGE thanks to Leah for putting on such an incredible evening and all without any backing of promoters – it was a true testament to the power of her fanbase.
Matt – Muzik Speaks
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