Music review: Paloma Faith

Paloma Faith is the caring kind, sharing with the audience her concerns for her child in a hostile world and encouraging them to join her in spreading an 'epidemic of kindness'.

Paloma Faith's personality outdid her performance

Hydro, Glasgow ***

But, equally, Paloma Faith doesn’t care a jot, and that’s one of her most appealing qualities. Knowing from her experience in Aberdeen the night before this show that passing comment on our First Minister during concerts can be a polarising move, she ploughed straight back in to the mire and declared herself a member of the Nicola fan club.

She celebrated keeping some of her baby fat as a “souvenir” on My Body, its free-spirited sentiments simultaneously undermined by the heavily treated vocals and celebrated by a hilarious body conscious dance routine.

Her chatty playfulness was a welcome diversion from a mediocre set of palatable but processed soul pop played by a capable band which produced merely tame appreciation for much of the set until portions of the audience, perhaps infected by the Paloma imp, chose their moment to be vocal – during Just Be, the kind of serious, sensitive ballad which clearly had to be delivered by Faith on top of a piano.

Finally, the crowd made it on to their feet for Can’t Rely On You , a funky number which suited the jazzier tones in her voice, and remained there for a closing run of catchy if generic dance pop tunes and bland ballads carried largely by her personality.

FIONA SHEPHERD