Sunday, March 9, 2008

9 Mar: Duffy Live@Carling Academy,Oxford


Tonight (March 9th) Duffy did a gig at the Carling Academy, Oxford. This review is pasted in below.
I had the pleasure of seeing Duffy play live at Carling Academy Oxford (Zodiac) Sunday night, March 9th. It was a sold out show, with Duffy and her 6-piece band performing upstairs. I was surprised that she wasn’t playing downstairs in the larger capacity venue. It was a bit snug upstairs, packed, but more intimate.

The crowd was varied. There was a group of younger girls excited to see Duffy behind me and as I looked around there was a mix of all ages. With Duffy’s shows selling out, and having the current #1 album (’Rockferry’) and single (”Mercy”), it’s refreshing to see that her old school soul is drawing so much interest, as opposed to what seems to have become the norm - indie.

Duffy’s music sets such a mood that it’s strange watching her in a venue without seats. It’s easy to imagine a setting with tables and candles, like in the old black and white films. Keeping that in mind, her show is great for couples, first dates - and if you’re getting married, her CD would be perfect for the reception.

Duffy started out the set with her sexy, classic debut single, “Rockferry”. It was a great choice for an opening number. Radio favorite “Warwick Avenue” also sounded good. Other songs included “Serious”, “Stepping Stone”, “Delayed Devotion”, “Breaking My Own Heart” a slow, stripped down version of “Syrup and Honey” with Jon Green on guitar, “Tomorrow” and of course, crowd favorite and most anticipated, “Mercy”.

She’s fun to watch on stage - with her subtle (possibly choreographed!) moves, her band is tight - and what a voice.

Occasionally in between songs Duffy would mention her excitement of her album and single being at #1 in the charts. At such an early stage in her career, you can’t blame her for being excited!



Below is Duffy performing Mercy at this gig.


Duffy and Jon Green do "Syrup & Honey" below.


A clip from the "Hanging On Too Long" performance is below.


"Warwick Avenue" performance is below.


And finally, here is Duffy singing "Distant Dreamer".


If anyone has any photos they want to share please leave a comment.

No comments: