Three tours into the re-set and this new phase of 'Thea Gilmore live' is taking shape. Solo has become the de facto format with the extra dimension of improvised additions to meet the halfway point between pure acoustic and some element of a band. Whether the latter resumes is conjecture for another day, the present is owned by an artist appearing content, purveying peace and kindness and feeling a mutual love of playing live. There was a change of venue for the Birmingham date of the latest tour. After twice staging shows at the MAC, she returned to the city centre and graced the stage of The Glee Club for the first time in over a dozen years. A commendable turnout had the honour of sampling a cross section of her work ranging from an earlier album now turned twenty-one to last year's record courting an all-encompassing remark of 'contentious'. This didn't stop many quarters from hailing the self-titled album a landmark release, but like much of Thea Gilmore's output, time tested tends to be the true outcome when new music lands.
After hiring the services of a poet to open the last tour, type was reverted with Manchester-based singer-songwriter Liam Frost commandeering the thirty-minute support slot armed with an acoustic guitar and several self-penned songs to share. All the attributes were in place to deliver a meaningful set: fine playing, good voice, amenable demeanour and poetic intent. Maybe the addition of a song that you took home would have enhanced things. On the other hand, spending time with Thea Gilmore has the ability to rectify.
In the recording world, we are now back in the realm of 'Thea Gilmore'. The re-set album that proved the centrepiece of tours in 2021 and 2022 was released under the name Afterlight. Far from being a diminished entity, we were informed the guise may be just resting and could make a return when the time is right. Strip away the cover and you are left with one of England's finest singer-songwriters over the last twenty years, capable of making music to mix with the best, while never straying far from her roots.
From an extensive catalogue, the setlist constructed for Birmingham possessed an inclusive feel to welcome seasoned admirers and fresh ears inspired more by curiosity than experience. The album spread ran from a couple of tracks lifted off 2003's AVALANCHE ('Razor Valentine' and 'Mainstream') to a superb quintet representing the latest record. First heard from this in the 90-minute set was 'The Chance', one of a couple played on keyboards. She quipped of being told of its Billy Joel likeness, not too far off the mark with respect to its lighter content than the usual Thea Gilmore fare. 'Unravel Me' soon followed and is likely to be a live staple for years to come. Three songs punching their way to the album summit came in succession to close the show. The part song-part poem 'The Bright Service' is a masterclass in poetic lyricism. 'Like a tsunami, a one woman army, it took a pharmacy to calm me' is a line for the ages. 'She Speaks in Colours' sheds new light when the background is shared and came across in a moment of sublimity. 'That's Love Mother Fucker' is the festival song that will never be played at one. No problem at The Glee Club as the audience miked its punky vibes and clever irony.
Thea Gilmore and covers have a sensitive and strategic relationship. 'Bad Moon Rising' and its zombie story is regularly on the menu, but even that measured version was trumped by a new addition this evening. 'Girls Just Wanna have Fun' is a song with many identities possessing endearing qualities that never fade. When stripped back it gets better and better, none more so than the version framed tonight.
Invited audience participation seemed more prevalent than the other Thea Gilmore shows seen over the last five years. Maybe a reflection of the artist's desire to connect. Her audience may not be exposed to loops and drum machines too often, but the room is at one when this approach is activated and the effect is becoming an integral part of the live presence. While adaptability is one virtue: stature, poise and a distinctive voice bristle from a performer blessed with innate talent.
Other notable highlights from the show included a version of 'The War' also played on the keyboards and forever dedicated to the late Jo Cox to show an empathy forming a belief. Pickings were slim from the Afterlight project with 'Friendly Little Heart Attack' being the sole inclusion. Finally, the ever popular 'Rise' always illuminates a room.
A comparison between 2021 and the present is a poignant place to close this chapter. The sheer intensity and feeling emanating from that first post-pandemic Birmingham outing was utterly beguiling and memorably ingrained. Afterlight clearly served a purpose. We are now in calmer waters. Intensity is replaced by a distinguished aura. Both fuse the connection between artist and audience in a way gift wrapped for live music.
