An enjoyable and relaxing evening with Niki and her band
This performance by Niki King interlaced songs celebrating Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington with some from her own album “The Everlasting Energy of Love”. Niki, in a gorgeous green sequinned gown, was joined on stage by Paul Harrison on piano, Mario Caribe on double bass, Stuart Brown on drums throughout the show, with violinist Kate Miguda appearing in the second act for two of Niki’s own songs.
We began with a short introduction to Sarah Vaughan and Dinah Washington, both of whom would have celebrated their 100th year this year. We were then taken through a variety of songs, some familiar, and others less so. Some of the classics included “Send in the Clowns”, “Mad About the Boy” and “Lover Come Back to Me”, and we heard Niki’s own songs, the balladic “Without You” and “Blanket of the Stars”.
Niki’s voice was pitch-perfect throughout, however, some of the pacing was a bit muddled at times, with more upbeat numbers immediately followed by slow songs, and the crowd work fell a bit flat at certain points. Asking the audience if they enjoy live performances whilst attending a live performance felt a little redundant, as well as asking the crowd to sing along when it was clear the audience didn’t know what was being asked. Another night and another audience might have yielded better results here, as whilst the audience was attentive and appreciative, the ambience was rather more relaxed and low-key.
The accomplished performances from the band showcased Niki’s voice, and each member given solo space to spotlight their work, whilst maintaining a harmonious unit. It would have been have been nice to see more of Kate Miguda’s work, and would be even more of an incentive to listen to the album.
The Spiegeltent is a gorgeous venue, but with the abundance of wood and mirrors all around, the acoustics benefit from having a fuller house than was in tonight – perhaps a reflection on the unseasonable weather, being a cold and wet evening, even for Scotland in July. It might have been a bit easier to bring up the energy in the crowd if the house staff had corralled us in closer proximity to the stage. The construction of the stage means there isn’t much room for manoeuvre – personally, I’d have preferred having the piano side-on to the stage, rather than having Paul Harrison’s back to the audience, but this may have been a feature of the space available.
We finished with a performance of This Bitter Earth, the Dinah Washington number which was used in the film Shutter Island, in a mash-up with Max Richter’s “On Nature of Daylight” – this was a highlight for me, and a fitting end to the show, encapsulating the influence that Dinah’s work is still having today.
Find out more about Niki King on her website: https://www.nikiking.com/
Her album “The Everlasting Energy of Love” is available to listen and purchase on Bandcamp: https://nikiking.bandcamp.com/album/the-everlasting-energy-of-love