“Newcastle really is beautiful, isn’t it!” Lucy Rose stated on the stage at Riverside. So much so, she informed us, that she’d just finished filming a video for ‘Shiver’ on the red and white swing bridge opposite the venue on the river Tyne.
This elation for the venue and the event seemed to continue all night from Rose’s point of view, preluded by supports C Duncan and Flyte who started it all off. Flytes were a fantastic opener who were really impressive. As well as performing excellent tracks such as ‘Please Eloise’ and ‘Over and Out’, they were also a rather funny group of guys.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpQrf-_C5DE]The night went up a notch from the slower new-wave indie songs such as ‘Never Stop Trying To Break My Heart’ (if you can think of a catchier title they want to know!) that Flytes play when Rose came out. Opening with ‘Cover Up’ she provided a sharp kick in tempo that still failed to excite the crowd.
Strangely, when hitting her stride with fourth song ‘Nebraska’, a more ambient track, the crowd seemed more supportive. In fact, Rose looked more comfortable playing it. This continued with the next few tracks, ‘Shiver’ and ‘For You’, both from the new album. Addressing the crowd for the first time, Rose talked about the emotion that the latter held for her and this was evident in her performance. She again mentioned the journey that she as an artist was on. This reflected my interview I had with her before the gig, also on Kettle.
This journey was also evident in her performance, though perhaps not in the way she would have liked. Perhaps her greatest, and oldest song, ‘Middle Of The Bed’ was the best in a 20 song set, setting both the crowd and Rose into a frenzy almost an hour and a half into her performance. She, understandably, was much more comfortable with this material; her whole demeanour changed, she relaxed and the crowd responded to this.
[video:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adBPg8Zdp2g]New single ‘Like An Arrow’ provided more joviality, especially as she was joined on stage by Flytes who provided backing harmonies. Yet her strongest weapon, her voice, failed to cut through a particularly docile crowd, and as such the night never really got going.
It’s hard not to like Lucy Rose. It was a lovely night with ambient listening, but she’s perhaps not a live artist that will set the world alight.
Are you a fan of Lucy Rose? Let us know in the comments below and don’t forget to check out our pre-show interview!
