“Please don’t record any of this! We’re under-rehearsed,” pleads Rosalie Cunningham, right at the start of her show at Acapela – setting the scene for the rest of the evening. An odd way to begin, as over two sets totalling 90 minutes, Cunningham and her cohorts performed with an air of confidence and an incredible level of musicality. Even if it wasn’t without a couple of hiccups, they played in the style of seasoned veterans.
Playing to a nowhere-near-capacity crowd, this second gig of a 26-date European tour felt like a warmup for the imminent long haul. The Wednesday evening faithful were treated to a psychedelically-flavoured thrill ride through Cunningham’s solo work, with a nod to her previous band Purson. Though bass and drums were busy and heavy, her guitars interplay with Rosco Wilson was given room to breathe, and the overall sound was vibrant and full.
Taking centre stage with a charismatic presence, Cunningham looked the part for the occasion. she knows her identity as a performer (vaudeville, at times burlesque) and uses it to maximum effect. On the other hand – forgive us our press passes, but Wilson, looking like a denim-clad tinted-glasses hybrid of Rick Parfitt and a young Jeff Lynne, was clearly not enjoying himself tonight. Unable to even raise a smile, and often playing with his back to the audience, he gave the impression of wanting to be anywhere other than onstage.
Perhaps the venue vibe seeped into their collective psyche: Acapela has the kind of reverential ambience less common in more traditional music venues, a place where polite applause rather than cheers are the norm. There again, it was also the group’s choice of venue to record their 2023 live album, so hopefully tonight was just a blip.
After the interval, which seemed like an eternity, the band were noticeably more relaxed, and the set included many essential Cunningham songs: Ride On My Bike, Donovan Ellington, To Shoot Another Day and Start With The Corners. With no encore, the band walked offstage and the house lights came on – no standing ovation, no enthusiastic catcalls for more, all done and dusted by 10.15pm.
As Cunningham and bassist Claudia Gonzalez Diaz (formerly of Spanish band Cachemira) took to merch stand duties – chatting amiably with 20 or so fans, signing autographs and posing for photos – Wilson set about packing up the gear as de facto band roadie, and in doing so neglected his rightful position alongside his girlfriend as co-star of the show. Despite the aforementioned distractions, for sheer star quality, showmanship and unique songwriting talent Rosalie Cunningham has it all.
Rosalie Cunningham, Acapela, Cardiff, Wed 13 Nov
words COLIN PALMER photos CHRIS ALFRED
