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KT Tunstall, Shepherd's Bush Empire

KT Tunstall, Shepherd's Bush Empire

Scottish chanteuse delivers an evening of superior AOR

by Thursday, 21 October 2010
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KT Tunstall: Not really a weirdo

First up, a confession. I’m one of those who’ve never considered KT Tunstall to be quite the real deal. She’s sometimes described as indie, but I’ve always found her more background music for filling out a tax form to than someone to help you through a lost weekend. On a recent single she sings about being “still a weirdo”, but it comes over to me about as convincingly as Guy Ritchie’s accent. Weirdo? That cutesy Sino-Scottish face and Jimmy Krankie accent are only a curio when stacked up against mainstream AOR, which is clearly what she doesn’t want to be. To me she’s indie-lite. Or Melua-heavy. Am I alone? Last night I sure was.

First up, a confession. I’m one of those who’ve never considered KT Tunstall to be quite the real deal. She’s sometimes described as indie, but I’ve always found her more background music for filling out a tax form to than someone to help you through a lost weekend. On a recent single she sings about being “still a weirdo”, but it comes over to me about as convincingly as Guy Ritchie’s accent. Weirdo? That cutesy Sino-Scottish face and Jimmy Krankie accent are only a curio when stacked up against mainstream AOR, which is clearly what she doesn’t want to be. To me she’s indie-lite. Or Melua-heavy. Am I alone? Last night I sure was.

In fact some of the male adulation seemed to border on the unhealthy, such as the man in the anorak in front of me frantically entering the set list into his iPhone

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Comments

Submitted by za_lady (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 10:51
"Largely genteel thirty and fortysomethings, I suspect they’d been alarmed by the Rastafarian ticket touts outside". Frankly I find this insulting. Just because one is thirty or over doesn't make them clueless to the music scene or anything else. The only reason I wasn't right up at the front in the admittedly fairly tame moshpit is that I now suffer from a disability.

Submitted by Zathras10 (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 12:32
A rather excellent point, za_lady, and one compounded by his describing Rej and Charlotte as "static[...]Eighties-styled bass and guitar players." It's rather difficult to understand how someone who allegedly writes about music for a living can expect anyone to take him seriously at slating thirty-plus-somethings as clueless about indie scenes when he doesn't bloody know who Charlotte Hatherley is. Well that, and the way he seems so put out that other, more common, people were enjoying the set a lot more than he, an anointed music and indie Gatekeeper, was. Criticfail.

Submitted by bopbop (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 14:20
Wow what a way to review a concert these days. Insulting the people at the concert now? What a hateful 'review'. Sad little man. Oh and try getting the song titles right.

Submitted by STPK (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 16:48
"In fact some of the male adulation seemed to border on the unhealthy, such as the man in the anorak in front of me frantically entering the set list into his iPhone." Geez, males being attracted to female artists...go figure! Must not happen in your world eh? :>D

Submitted by Arther C Clarke (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 16:54
I was there last night and felt that KT tunstall is a fantastic singer songwriter who doesnt have to fill any music genre's she has worked hard and made it in an incredibly hard world where music corporations rule the airwaves and for her to break through with her own music not other peoples offerings she deserves all the admiration her audience showed last night and I for one loved every minute of her and her bands performance! You Russ must be a some kind of weirdo to be there in the first place especially as all the songs she played were off her 2 albums and if you listened to them and didnt like them why go so was probably hurt by the suggetion that YOU were a weirdo and so are giving a bum review maybe you should stick to r'n'b bands and x factor shows and next time maybe a deserving fan could have had your ticket and could have enjoyed the show for what it was you should stick to reviewing your tv in your living room and maybe should not go out anymore in case you meet any more rastafarian doormen because I bet it was you who felt nervous by them and thats why you mentioned it!

Submitted by Chris Ash (not verified) on Thu, 21/10/2010 - 19:45
My wife and I were there last night and yes we are thirtysomething but not even slightly alarmed by the touts. We were shocked at your review as having been to plenty of gigs and festivals over the last 15 years (in small and large venues) this was undoubtably one of the best sets we have seen. KT was utterly brilliant and the new album was fantastic live - no one can say that the solo section in the middle was anything but brilliant and totally deserved the standing ovation that it got. I don't know if you were just in a bad mood last night or perhaps slightly depressed but we thought it was bloody brilliant. Well done KT!

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Mon, 25/10/2010 - 09:05
Wow, you've hit a raw nerve judging by the uptight comments. Since when, just because you like an artist, does it mean everyone else does or has to, including those who review? I suspect that a lot of people wouldn't like the type of music that I listen to and would probably write a review based on what they thought, isn't that the whole point of a review? Whether you went there to store material for your w*nk bank or you genuinely like KT Tunstall's music, get a life!

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