EartH, LondonAn acoustic moment mid-set proves incendiary for this
UK solo debut in support of Howard’s forthcoming album Jaime
It takes a moment of quiet for Brittany Howard’s first solo show in the UK to explode. Halfway through the
Alabama Shakes singer’s set, she stands alone on stage with an acoustic guitar, to sing Short and Sweet, a delicate little number from her forthcoming album, Jaime. Without other instruments to compete – the sound had felt cold and hard for the first part of the night, despite the room’s mugginess – her voice begins to fill the space.
The song’s purpose, though, is to be a palate cleanser, as she ramps up the set to a devastating conclusion. It’s followed by a couple of covers – the New Birth’s You Are What I’m All About, then Sam and Dave’s When Something Is Wrong With My Baby – putting the audience in the mood for a soul party, before she rips the rug out from under them with the two most intense and political songs from Jaime.