We are currently living in the golden age of singer/songwriters, but the brightest of the bunch is undoubtedly Jesse Lynn Madera. Born in West Virginia and raised in Houston, Texas, Jesse is the type of artist who absorbs her surroundings and it can’t help but inform her art. The result are sun kissed songs that have been ripened on the vine, and then picked at the ultimate moment. With the kind of voice that could make the phone book sound interesting, Jesse is blessed with a wonderful Southern drawl and uses a bunch of self-penned tunes with which to woo us. Originally composed on the piano, opening track ‘Sweet Pretender’ transfers well to the live environment, Jesse Lynn accompanied by an acoustic guitar (Jesse Cole) and fiddle (Martin Sedlak), and despite the parred-back aesthetic, Jesse captivates the crowd and holds them spellbound for forty minutes. We’re treated to cuts such as ‘No Place To Shine’ and an uncensored rendition of latest single ‘Woke Up In LA’ (the rude word isn’t that bad). Things are stripped down further for final track ‘That House’, an emotive number that further adheres Jesse Lynn to the crowd, making this set the perfect advert for her new album, Speed Of Sound.

To say that Colin Blunstone has had a full and varied career would be something of an understatement. Not only did he help shape the course of popular music with The Zombies, he also had success as a solo artist, along with countless collaborations. It’s not such an easy thing to condense into a single set, yet tonight does a good job of stopping along most of the highways and byways of a long and winding career. As such, there’s no better place to begin than at the start, and the first part of the show is (primarily) given over to old Zombies tunes. It’s an explosive beginning (at least musically; Colin and band arrive in a typically understated manner) with ‘Indication’ settling into an infectious groove, the band sounding rich and velvety within the confines of the Theatre’s warm acoustics. Colin’s softly spoken brogue sounds equally lustrous, his vocals have aged like fine English leather; whilst it has been subjected to the rough and tumble of life, that’s also part of its charm and he colours the following ‘I Love You’ with burnt yellows, rustic reds and conker browns.

There are many seasoned gig goers present tonight, and bearing this in mind, the set list takes a deep dive into The Zombies’ back catalogue. Of course, there are obvious cuts such as ‘Tell Her No’ but there’s also tunes that were overshadowed by their hits and ‘It’s Alright With Me’ gets an airing, evidencing some rock n’ roll roots (and played at their very first Decca session). The depth and breadth of Colin’s back catalogue means that someone is always going to be disappointed with the song selection (my personal bugbear is the absence of ‘Beechwood Park’) but when the set contains the likes of ‘This Will Be Our Year’ and the autumnal ‘Time Of The Season’, few can have any complaints. In fact, ‘Time Of The Season’ evidenced just how deceptively simple The Zombies songs are; Colin asks the crowd to clap along, and many are flummoxed at having to clap behind the beat and reminds me why I’m a writer and not a musician.

The second part of the set is given over to Colin’s solo work; an acoustic interlude presents the familiar ‘Misty Rose’ in a new light, whist his work with the Alan Parsons Project is represented by a breathtaking rendition of ‘Old And Wise’. Colin doesn’t indulge too much in rock star posturing (he recently celebrated his 80th birthday, after all) but he brings all his experience to bear nonetheless, delivering a set that ebbs and flows perfectly taking us on a musical journey that wends its way towards closer ‘She’s Not There’ like a smooth river of silk. There’s just time for one encore, and with so many songs to choose from, Colin brings the evening full circle, and takes us back to his (and The Zombies’) genesis with ‘Just Out Of Reach’. A masterclass.

Colin Blunstone Band Set List:

1. Indication
2. I Love You
3. Tell Her No
4. I Remember When I Loved Her
5. It’s Alright With Me
6. If It Don’t Work Out
7. I Don’t Believe In Miracles
8. Say You Don’t Mind
9. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted
10. Time To Move
11. This Will Be Our Year
12. Hung Up On A Dream
13. Time Of The Season
14. Let Me Come Closer To You
15. Keep The Curtains Closed Today
16. Misty Roses
17. Any Other Way
18. Caroline Goodbye
19. Andorra
20. Old And Wise
21. She’s Not There

Encore:

22. Just Out Of Reach

Jesse Lynn Madera Set List:

1. Sweet Pretender
2. No Place To Shine
3. Last Call
4. This Is What We’ve Become
5. Woke Up In LA
6. Austin
7. That House