Entering the Wolverhampton, which used to be called the Civic Hall, my heart dropped a little to be honest my worse fear just became real – seats! I am not a big lover of seated gigs, it can be an atmosphere killer, but it did make sense when you looked at the age demographic of the audience. As Amy Macdonald and her band came on to a slightly muted response – it was bloody cold outside – we didn’t know which way this gig was going to go, but we shouldn’t have worried.

Amy has been around enough not to let that bother her, as she launched into the title track of her new album, ‘Is This What You’ve Been Waiting For?’ A mid-paced number, it received good applause, and ‘Dream On’ built on that. But it wasn’t long before she bought one of the big guns out, ‘Mr Rock & Roll’. That did it, up on their feet, the crowd joined in with the singing whilst swaying and some dancing, ending with the sort of applause it always gets. There were a few words about the Scottish football team qualifying for the world cup, Amy realising she can’t go because she’s on tour, and reassuring the crowd that if anyone has tickets, she won’t suddenly have a mysterious health problem. She seemed to be winning now, and although the new stuff was greeted with generous applause it was obviously the classics that really got them going. ‘Don’t Tell Me That It’s Over’, ‘This Is The Life’, and the encore, ‘Let’s Start A Band’.

After a slow start, Ms Macdonald, even with a bad cold, shone through. Well, you wouldn’t expect anything from a class artist, would you?

Photos by Geoff Griffe
Review by Jenny Griffe