Following the release of her fifth studio album, Can’t Take My Story Away, at the start of the year Elles Bailey is now out on the road playing some of her largest headline shows to date which brings us to Warwick Arts Centre this evening.
Opening the show is Caitlin Krisko & The Broadcast, stripped down to a duo for these dates, they have been hand picked by Elles and she takes the time to come out and gives some background to their enduring friendship and introduces them to the stage. Not only is this a nice gesture, it also helps in getting the audience invested in them from the get go. ‘Let It Ride’ may be stripped back but its underlying groove and power are evident. ‘Blue Heron’ follows and Krisko takes a moment to thank Elles for the opportunity while revealing that the pair have just got married and this tour is serving as their honeymoon.
A take on Ray Charles’ ‘Drown In my Own Tears’ pays tribute to one of Krisko’s favourites, Aretha Franklin and with the acoustic guitar downplayed it really is a showcase for Krisko’s magnificent voice. As the song reaches its conclusion I become aware of something that you don’t get too often at gigs these days; the audience is sat in silence. There’s no chatting or distractions, just everybody sharing the moment. ‘Battle Cry’ and ‘Come And Go Blues’ continue in similar fashion and judging by the reception there’ll be plenty of more punters ready to see them when they come back with their full band.
A few years ago I predicted that it wouldn’t be long until Elles Bailey was headlining the likes of Birmingham Symphony Hall. While we might not be at that level quite yet, that upward trajectory is still very much evident and Warwick Arts Centre, a superb venue that is befitting of Elle’s music, is certainly a step in the right direction. In fact at one point in the show she asks who’s seeing her for the first time and the hands confirm that a sizeable proportion of the crowd are first timers. The broad appeal of her music is clearly picking up followers from Planet Rock as much as it is from BBC Radio 2.
The show opens with ‘Can’t Take My Story Away’ and is followed up with ‘Growing Roots’ and it becomes apparent that tonight is going to be all about leaning heavily on her new album, which she takes time to explain has been 10 years in the making. These songs have been written and honed in between the writing, recording and touring of both 2022’s Shining In The Half Light and 2024’s Beneath The Neon Glow.
The cover of Catfish’s ‘Better Days’ is dedicated to long time friend Matt Long. A song she recorded a version of with The Cinelli Brothers for the Matt Long tribute album, it was also the second track to be released ahead of the new album. The addition of Paul Jordanous alongside Sophie Stockland-Brown on trumpet and sax respectively, complement the blues soul feel perfectly. So oftern when bands add to their line up it can feel overloaded and unneccessary. Thankfully, this is one of those occasions where it truly does work and the excellent acoustics and mix in the room allow you to appreciate the musicianship of the whole band.
A cover of Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Love Me Like a Man’ which she recently performed on BBC’s Blues Show with Cerys Matthews sits comforatbly alongside ‘Constant Need To Keep On Going’ which shouldn’t require too much brain power to understand where she’s coming from. Elles will ofen give lengthy introductions to songs, openly bearing her soul, and giving insight into the song and the songwriter. It’s one of her endearing qualities and does much to engage the audience.
Following ‘1972’ a couple of real highlights of the set begin with the jazzy blues of ‘Angel’ where again the brass section really adds weight and ‘Let It Burn’ where Elles joins Jonny Henderson on piano and delivers a powerful vocal.
An emotional ‘Leave A Light On’ is dedicated to her husband and those that are left behind while musicians go on tour. It allows the band to rock things up more following ‘Let It Burn’ and while Joe Wilkins may refuse to play the guitar hero, musically he is anything but as he delivers a sensational solo as the song’s climax.
Similarly while Demi Marriner’s appearance may be that of a supporting role adding acoustic guitar and backing vocals when they get to set closer ‘If This Is Love’ proves she has a voice that can pin you up against the wall with an exhilarating perfomance comparable to Tina Turner at her best.
The encore mixes the old with the new with ‘Waht’s The Matter With You’ and ‘Take A Step Back’ almost as if to say this is where I started from and this is where I am now. She started by saying that this show was “her story”. That story is only just getting started and you feel there’s much more in store to enjoy along the way.
Setlist:
Can’t Take My Story Away
Growing Roots
Better Days
How Do You Do It
Deeper
Help Somebody
Love Me Like a Man
Constant Need to Keep Going
Best Believe
1972
Angel
Let It Burn
Tightrope
Love Yourself
Leave the Light On
If This Is Love
Encore:
What’s the Matter With You
Take a Step Back
