TOWN HALL, BIRMINGHAM (2009)


MYBRUMTV.CO.UK  (16 November, 2009)

Rolling back the years to deliver a pearl of a show
SOMETHING had Elkie Brooks in a good mood on Saturday night. She bounced onto the stage of the Town Hall full of enthusiasm and energy and the 90-minute set she proceeded to perform showed that even at the age of 64 – she can still rock!

The Town Hall was the perfect venue for such a personal show. In many ways, Elkie’s performance; split into two halves was less of a concert than an audience with as she constantly chatted away to the crowd in between songs. The intimate atmosphere that she created upon her entrance on stage was one of delicacy but above all, friendliness and she treated the audience as though each and every one was a personal companion of hers. There was even a lovely moment when she thanked those who sent her flowers before the show, addressing them by their names.

And anybody who thought that at the age of 63, Elkie’s voice has croaked it was proven wrong as she embarked upon a journey of some of her biggest hits performing each song with pitch-perfect vocals and effortless ability.

The first half of the show took on a mellow, almost monotonous setting as Elkie raced through a number of hits including ‘Sunshine After The Rain,’ ’Lilac Wine’ and ‘Don’t Cry Out Loud.’ Something throughout the show seemed a little too perfect. For Elkie herself was on top form and her vocals shook the Town Hall to its very core. As she piped up to deliver a soaring chorus, the acoustics in the building perfectly reverberated her sound all around the venue. Backed by a very tight knit band, it was clear to see that they have been touring with the superstar for many a year now – such was the harmony and closeness they shared.

It is funny to think that after 40 years in the music business Elkie Brooks still speaks about her influences but there was no denying the adoration she has for one musician as she introduced him as ‘one of the greatest people in music today’ and her cover of Chris Rea’s ‘Fool If You Think Its Over’ was every bit as good as the original, with the kind of angelic vocals that only she can deliver.

However, with a 40-year career to look back on and numerous songs to perform that have helped shape her time in the music industry, it is surprisingly a song penned by her keyboardist that becomes the highlight of the first half. ‘Tell Me Why’ is an emotional song that when delivered with the kind of passion and empathy that Elkie adds to it, is a true blues anthem.

If the second half was a gentle journey through some of Elkie’s softer hits then the second half of the show was a heady romp through some of her more upbeat numbers. It served as the first time that her tight-knit band really had to excel and with the sensational skills of her saxophonist Steve Jones taking centre stage on more than one occasion, breathed a breath of fresh air into the audience.

For that is one of the most admirable aspects of an Elkie Brooks live show. There is no rockstar persona about the singer, no sense of arrogance or self-indulgence and when the time does come for her band to play an instrumental section she is more than happy to edge to the end of the stage in order to give them a fair share of the spotlight.

On more than one occasion Elkie and her band had the audience up out of their seats and dancing the night away; renditions of ‘If You Don’t Make It The First Time’ and ‘Roll Baby Roll’ saw her roll back the years with the crowd and give a little dance on stage.

It was what was to follow though that added an extra coat of gloss to the night. Arguably her biggest hit to date, ‘Pearl’s A Singer’ was performed well but the real treat was to come half way through when Elkie and her band stepped it up slightly to deliver a high-tempo version of the song that had people standing up and dancing in front of their seats.

Throughout the show Elkie herself looked perfectly at ease on the stage, laid back and relaxed throughout she produced a polished performance that really had the crowd on the edge of their seats. It was when she explained to the audience that she has been singing ‘Pearl..’ for over 30 years when you first began to realise just how long she has been in the industry and even today she sounds as good as she always has, something she demonstrated as she hung onto the final note for a good few minutes. There was also a fun bit of banter between Elkie and her husband – also her sound engineer’ as she introduced the speedier version of the song as one that was faster as opposed to being ‘farster’ which is how her other half pronounces it because he is a ‘hussie,’ at which point he cut her sound much to the hilarity of the audience.

Unsurprisingly an encore followed her barnstorming set, which saw her perform the powerful ballad ‘Powerless’ with just her keyboardist on stage before the rest of her band returned to say goodbye to Birmingham with none other than ‘We’ve Got Tonight’, proving Elkie not only to be a pitch perfect vocalist but also showing just why she has graced the music scene for forty years.

By John Edden