Women's Hour live review
The first third of tonight’s show suggests Woman’s Hour’s recent rise might have been a touch too meteoric: singer Fiona Burgess struggles to offer any inter-song observations beyond quite how many people are in front of her, and sings with an overcompensating forcefulness that belies the sweet purr of her recorded voice.
Similarly, the rest of the quartet appears tentative: pregnant pauses precede songs performed stiffly and proficiently rather than with the expressiveness that their elegance demands. Then again, on the opening night of their biggest tour to date, Woman’s Hour can be forgiven a few nerves – and when they settle, they sparkle: the yearning melodies that elevate their debut LP consume the cavernous space of Village Underground rather seductively, and their inspired interpretation of Dancing In The Dark is a bewitching surprise.
