Words by Richard Wright / Pictures by Lucy Heath
Fresh off of her first appearance on ‘Later…with Jools Holland’, Natalie Duncan arrived on stage at The Glee Club to a warm applause of appreciation from the crowd.
Slipping straight into ‘Devil In Me’, the title track of her debut album, Duncan grabbed the audience’s attention immediately, and kept them hooked throughout the whole set; which ranged from heartfelt blues ballads to swingy Jazz pieces, each one as personal as the last.
A personal highlight was ‘Old Rock’, a bluesy song about an old drunk who used to sit in a pub Duncan worked in, in Nottingham, and used to ramble on about nothing; which turns out is a very interesting topic. “I just hope he’s still alive,” Duncan quipped.
Duncan’s piano playing was incredible, swapping from bluesy swing to spiky jazz with ease; and the relationship her backing band was great to watch.
In a rare break from the music, when we were introduced to her backing band, an audience member asked Duncan to tell us something personal. This seemed to bring the shyness out in the young 24 year old, who replied with “I haven’t got much to say…”
But I suspect, that come next year, big things will happen to this talented singer/songwriter from Nottingham; and then she will have plenty.
For more on Natalie Duncan, visit http://www.natalieduncan.com
For further listings at The Glee Club, visit http://www.glee.co.uk/birmingham-music