Natalie McCool at the Unity Theatre. March 2015. Photograph by Ian D. Hall.
Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
From supporting Go West at the Floral Pavilion to the unchartered territory of Russia, from producing one of the singles of the year so far to being thought of as an icon in music, it has been an upward trajectory that that has seen Natalie McCool take on an even greater, and well deserved importance, in the annals of North West music. In the spirit of such things, to have Natalie McCool perform at this year’s Liverpool Acoustic Festival is one to take great thanks in.
With the release of a new single, Pins, under her 2015 belt, it should be no surprise to anyone if that belt requires a few lengthy adjustments during the remainder of the year.
Spring may be virtually upon the doorstep, the days not only starting to bloom, but get heavy with light and the darkness starts to retreat into the foul dormant corners set aside for shadowy things. Natalie McCool is as close to that bringer of light as anyone, the strength she brings to the Unity stage is one in which to bask and place hope for Time being tamed.
Time may be an illusion, a human response to set out order but there is never a illusion to mask when Ms. McCool opens up her set with the deep and dark cover of Billy Fury’s Wondrous Place, a song that has been part of the repertoire for quite a while and yet, and possibly with annoyance to the great man’s abundance of fans, sounds as though it is more suited to Natalie McCool’s sense of timing and breathless style than to Mr. Fury himself.
With the darkness out of the way, chased by a sun as if angered by humanity’s understanding of the complexity of the workings of the Solar System, the light shone through. In tracks such as Dig It Out, Pins, the awesome Dust and Coal, the rarely performed Trash and Treasure and the compelling new track of Fortress, the evening went by with such a flash that a thousand camera’s trained on her could not have matched the intensity.
It was though in the unrehearsed duet with Silent Cities’ Simon Maddison which garnered the affection during the set. Performing a rather tremendous version of the 1969 hit for Wallace Collection, Daydream, the pair invoked such memory of a long forgotten age that the heart not only stirred but consciously missed a beat as it relaxed and unburdened itself against the rigors of the day.
Natalie McCool is a true 21st century icon, one in which to celebrate loudly and without fear. The only question is, where does she go from here?
Ian D. Hall