Tuesday 17 April 2012

Now Then Manchester presents: Vieka @ Dulcimer, Chorlton, Thursday 12th April 2012

Chantelle Scott doesn’t come across as a bit of a diva or someone thriving on the belief that the world revolves around their whims and wishes, so I’d like to confirm that the 25 minute delay to Vieka’s appearance is entirely down to the previous act who seemed to think that his two minutes to finish was the musical equivalent of Fergie time, where he could play until someone scored next. I think he modelled the role on the Wigan game when Fergie’s team could have played until midnight and not have scored.

Quality is worth waiting for, although some punters could not wait ‘til the 10.45pm start without having to depart, having paid their £3. The show goes on though and, without their usual drummer, the pared down trio have kept the instrumentation to a minimum.

Trumpeter Will Lewis sets the tone for the evening’s performance, delivering single notes, held until you think he will turn blue. Sometimes a mute is added before the keyboards, or “technology”, via Lewis Edwards are introduced. This dark and brooding show is simply a change from the livelier tempo they are capable of delivering. Mirroring the more restrained but concentrated performance, Scott keeps the limiters on a voice that’s capable of being heard three streets away. Yet the threat and emotion are still present, so when she recites “Never again will you touch me”, I feel scared – and I’ve never spoken to her.

The restrained performance seems to suit the late night setting and those that have stayed warmly applaud each song, causing Scott to break into warm smiles.

Words & Photography: Ged Camera

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