Note-perfect but so quirky

3:25pm Wednesday 16th April 2008

KT Tunstall, Wolverhampton Civic Hall, Wednesday April 9 Scots lass KT Tunstall sparkled on her return to Wolver-hampton's Civic Hall despite a slightly lukewarm response from an oddly restrained crowd.

Perhaps it was singer/songwriter Tunstall's quirky sense of humour which put off her Black Country followers as many of her jokes and stories seemed to go right over their heads. Admittedly, her bodypopping demonstrations and comments about mad friends were rather surreal.

Luckily with four million albums sold the 32-year-old triple Brit Award winner's songs speak for themselves and all the hits old and new were there in the 100 minute set.

Wearing her trademark tomboy ensemble of skinny jeans, T-shirt and waistcoat, she gave a note perfect performance - her powerful, husky voice storming through such crowd-pleasers as Other Side of the World Suddenly I See, Black Horse and the Cherry Tree and Another Place to Fall.

She covered most of the tracks from her latest long-player Drastic Fantastic including singles Hold On, Saving My Face and If Only plus the impossibly catchy I Don't Want You Now, Hopeless and Funny Man.

Favourites from 2005's Mercury Music Prize nominated album Eye To the Telescope including Miniature Disasters, Under the Weather and False Alarm were also tightly rattled through accompanied by her four-piece band including percussionist Luke Bullen, to whom KT recently got engaged.

Then she brought the tempo down with mellow numbers Someday Soon, Paper Aeroplane and a beautiful acoustic rendition of Heal Over which she sang with just her guitar and two superb female backing singers.

And KT's loop pedal, which she uses to record herself playing or singing various layers of a song so when the recording is played back on a loop you hear the complete song, was put to impressive use once again.

But probably the most enthusiastic audience response came from a brilliant cover of The Bangles' Walk Like An Egyptian towards the end of the set. KT's rocky version of this classic 80s tune went down a storm and was undoubtedly one of the performances of the night.

With KT's catchy "Wolverham-pton" jingle to the tune of Basement Jaxx's Where's Your Head At ringing in our ears as we left the venue, we knew she'd be back

EDITORS CHOICE

EDITORS CHOICE