FLORAL PAVILION, NEW BRIGHTON (2009)
www.chrishigh.com (March, 2009)
With a voice as rich as melted Belgian chocolate, veteran songstress Elkie Brooks managed to wow the packed and beautifully refurbished Floral Pavilion in New Brighton with a performance that rolled back the years.
Dressed at first in a figure hugging pink chiffon frock, Elkie took to the stage with a wave and a smile, before launching into a deeply mellow first half that recounted hits such as Sunshine After the Rain, Lilac Wine and the Chris Rhea number Fool If You Thin It’s Over. Above all these, however, it was possibly a number penned by her band’s keyboard player, Lee Noble, which stole show. Tell Me Why is an intense and moving song which – like all of the others performed tonight – was performed without fault.
Aided by a tight, note-perfect band and especially by the superb saxophone of Steve Jones, the second half was much rockier and livelier, to which the audience duly responded in kind. If You Don’t Make It The First Time, Roll Baby Roll and an incredibly lively, high-tempo version of the masterpiece Pearl’s A Singer, quite literally had them dancing in the aisles.
Unfortunately, we were informed that Pearl is actually 32 this week which only serves to make the limbs ache just a little more than they had without being informed of that statistic.
With an encore that included an emotional and beautiful Powerless and deeply enigmatic We’ve Got Tonight, Elkie Brooks was saying her goodbyes to New Brighton’s audience who were doubtlessly counting the days until her return.
A truly magical evening of music and song.
(Chris High)
