Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

To be confirmed as support for a band whose very appearance on any stage in Liverpool can send audiences into a state of apoplexy is a daunting prospect but for young singer/songwriter Azadeh it was just another step on a road that has so far been paved with exquisite and well written music.

The last time Azadeh performed at the Liverpool Echo Arena she was part of Angels in White, a very soulful troupe of singers that captivated the audience completely. This time round Azadeh came with her own band and proceeded to be just as captivating, just as inspiring and yet with a touch of beguilement and a lasting impression on the crowd, certainly judging by the incredibly long queue that waited patiently to meet her after her performance.

Any support slot is to be savoured and can be a blessing or a curse to any performer; there have been many young aspiring bands or solo artists that fall at this first hurdle and the well trodden path is littered with those that didn’t quite make it because of audience apathy. This wasn’t the case with Azadeh who performed and sang so well that the intelligence she bought to her set stood out and also justifies the way she is also seen by many musicians all over.

Azadeh opened up her time on stage with Red Wine and Sunsets and Move Those Mountains, two very well written songs that left a joyful lump in the throat that would only increase as the night wore on. Perhaps the biggest surprise of Azadeh’s brief but powerful time on stage was her reading of the Michael Jackson classic Billie Jean. The way that the lyrics of this song were blurred in a new a gender defining way was both excellent and breathed new and excellent life into a song that had stayed the course over the last three decades.

Azadeh finished her set at the Liverpool Echo Arena with the songs Sons and Daughters, the sensual Butterflies and the superb Open the Window.

With time on her side and with the dedication she has already displayed, it surely won’t be long before Azadeh is back on stage in Liverpool and with a crowd already singing her praises it will undoubtedly be a great night to attend.

Ian D. Hall