In an unsettling way, it’s fitting that the root of Gabriella Cilmi’s unmistakeable voice comes from a back problem known as excessive lordosis. The 22 year old Australian sings with such a tangible, unrestrained presence that it’s almost like the act itself physically hurts, and if that was the case then her pain would undeniably be this packed St Pancras Old Church’s gain. Hunched over until nearly bent double she captivates us completely with songs from her new record The Sting, an album inspired by breaking up with her label, management and boyfriend at the same time. Her intense performance sees her fall to her knees during the hypnotic I Am Just A Girl and gripping her mic stand for dear life during a rollicking strut through Symmetry. If there is an issue it’s that this deeply passionate performance feels a little misplaced when applied to previous singles like Sweet About Me and On A Mission, which are great pop songs in their own right but feel slightly flimsy when lined up against songs from The Sting, where the painfully heavy times that inspired it deserve a performance of a matching heaviness. It’s nit-pick though, for sure, Cilmi and her backing band are on fine form here, and if sets and songs as powerful as these become the norm then we should expect to see a lot more of this rare talent in the near future.
John Digweed
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