IMELDA MAY| LIVE REVIEW
St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Mon 17 Nov
The spirits of Eddie Cochran, Carl Perkins and Gene Vincent must have been looking down from that big Be-Bop-A-Lula in the sky because there was a whole lotta shakin’ goin’ on this night. Coming on after a hot-rod rollicking set from opening hipsters The Caezars, Imelda May and band set the stage onfire right from the get-go. Igniting everything, beginning with the title track from her latest album Tribal, she sang that “rockabilly rules” and ooo-eee, it sure did! I half expected to see Jerry Lee Lewis come rolling out on his piano.
May was a Wild Woman as she tore through her latest single and continued to scorch her way through Love Tattoo, Five Good Men (with train-like sounds clicking and clacking along tracks) and Hellfire Club. Taking it down a notch and doing a slow burn, her sultry vocals simmered on the bluesier ballads like the voodoo jazz Wicked Way and the self-confessional Gypsy In Me, with psychedelic riffs coming off the lead guitar of May’s partner in crime, her husband and fellow songwriter, Darrel Higham. She gave everyone a Spoonful of something real sweet, doling out the oldie made famous by Howlin’ Wolf and Etta James (May’s version ranks right up there). And her songs are some of the sassiest and nastiest out there, in a good ol’ you-need-to-be-hosed-down-with-cold-water sort of way.
May’s Irish lilt adds something extra to her singing and makes her a standout. She’s the natural successor to Wanda Jackson’s crown in the honky-tonk universe. Looking fetching in a print halter-dress, peep-toe blue shoes and trademark two-tone curl, May showed a playful sense of humour and easy banter that never seemed forced or fake.
The band – Dave Priseman (trumpet, percussion, rhythm guitar), Al Gare (double bass), Steve Rushton (drums) and the aforementioned Higham – were hotter than a 57 Chevy on Memphis asphalt in August. Hot damn, could they play! Higham is right up there with axe greats. He can play anything. Gare changed to electric bass when the second half turned more rock’n’roll with tunes such as Zombie Girl and Road Runner. Audience members were then allowed near the stage to show off their jitterbuggin’ skills (and 50s retro finery). Nice to see couples attending who would have been kids around the time Elvis and his peers were shocking parents.
Gare changed up again to ukulele when he joined May downstage starting the encores with two covers: a superior version of Cher’s Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down) and Blondie’s Dreamin’. This show brought back memories of seeing Robert Gordon and groups like The Blasters, Rank And File and Wall Of Voodoo years ago. The band was so energetic, made me feel 20 years younger. They’re miracle workers!
Can’t be sure, on account of being so busy dancing towards the end, but I think they closed out with Right Amount Of Wrong. Imelda and her gang sure as hell rocked this town, inside and out… that’s what I was thinking as medics carried me out on a stretcher.
words RHONDA LEE REALI