It was a long, 18-year wait for me to see KT Tunstall live for the first time, and the stars finally aligned on a Monday night at St David’s Hall. As KT herself pointed out, her debut album Eye To The Telescope is now old enough to drink.

Granted, it is tricky to offer an unbiased review of an artist I hold so dear – whose first five albums remain staunch favourites in my CD collection, their liner notes dog-eared from memorising every lyric. But it was clear from her performance in Cardiff that I wasn’t alone in my admiration. Audience members dotted around the venue continued standing whilst others returned to their seats, singing their hearts out in an act of devotion to the Scottish songstress. 

Admittedly less familiar with her latest trilogy of albums, I was pleasantly surprised with how entertaining the whole evening was, both for fans and newcomers to KT’s music. She was joined onstage by a formidable entourage: Gorillaz touring bassist Seye Adelekan, Razorlight drummer Andy Burrows (who opened the show with his own well-crafted acoustic storytelling) and Stuart Wilkinson, who shreds on electric guitar and mandolin.

The band performed the entirety of NUT, the third in a series of albums inspired by “soul, body and mind” (in that order); its 10 tracks were interwoven with throwbacks to her first album, plus a handful of songs from the intervening years. A busking rendition of Another Place To Fall and an acoustic performance of Under The Weather stripped everything back to the unrefined beauty of the singer with her guitar. There was also an unexpected ode to dance music, which had the ravers jumping up and down to Push That Knot Away.

All of which was tied together by charming anecdotes from KT’s life in music, snippets of songs by legendary artists like Led Zeppelin and Eurythmics, and a genuine love for what she does, evident in every aspect of her performance. KT Tunstall deserves a seat alongside her own musical heroes such as Stevie Nicks and Patti Smith – a passionate, unapologetic woman of rock.

KT Tunstall, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, Mon 6 Mar

words ROSANNA LEWIS photos ANTHONY JAMES