Having first seen VV Brown on a co-headline tour with Gary Go back in March, it was great to see her headlining her own tour, and even better to see her in her hometown of Northampton. And it was really nice to see how she has grown in confidence and performance since her sound issues at Bush Hall...
The venue in Northampton was full of friends and family, not least because the opening act (which I missed) was Jay Brown, VV's little sister. I arrived about half way through the second support act, The Stow, who won their place on tour via a competition in the Metro. The Stow seem to be a great new band in a style that I'm struggling to categorise - hip hop ska possibly? Anyway, they had 2 lead singers which in itself is quite unusual, and they complimented each other greatly. Their music was really upbeat and performed very slickly with great audience engagement - check out their myspace page and have a listen.
Anyway, it was time for the main event and after a short intro with the radio dial tuning effect VV opened with my favourite track from her album, Everybody. There's something about the beat in that song which is particularly awesome. She came onto a stage that was set as a dressing room wearing a HUGE mask covered in feathers and 'striking a pose'. The set included all the main songs from Travelling Like The Light, which is a great album that for some reason in the year of young female singers has failed to capture the imagination of the UK public in the same way as Lady Gaga, La Roux or even Little Boots. I can only put it down to a lack of radio play (shame on you Jo Wiley - support your Northampton brethren!) and that the songs are less obviously fashionable as the rest. VV's voice is pretty amazing, as she showcased with a cover of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, and miles better than any of the rest I mentioned.
VV's songs sound great on her album but really come alive in the flesh and you need to see them performed live to get the best out of them. VV herself seems to have got a whole lot more self assured since I first saw her back in March, and interacts a lot more comfortably withe the audience. It obviously meant a lot to her to be back in Northampton, which came out in an air-punching version of her biggest hit to date, Shark in the Water, when she urged the audience to believe in what they wanted to achieve. And it wasn't actually as cheesy as it sounds!
I have to make a mention of the fantastic band that VV plays with - Lewis on guitar, newcomer Charlie on the keyboard, John on drums and the magnificent music director Michael on bass. They are fantastic and also lovely people while being responsible for helping VV's songs jump up and grab you by the ears.
We were treated to the reggae version of Crying Blood as well as a fantastic cover version of Viva La Vida by Coldplay [should anyone of influence ever reads this PLEASE record it and put it on YouTube or something!!!].
It sounds like VV is off to the States in the new year so I was pleased to get my 'Quick Fix' in before she's off. From the sound of her new song Caroline, which is pretty aggressive and a slightly different sound again I have high hopes for album number 2.
VV Brown's debut album, Travelling Like The Light, is out now
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