Caught Live [3]: Judie Tzuke @ The Robin 28/09/16

Enjoying The Ride: Judie Tzuke & Co.

Hello ... Hello ... my old friends ... It's great to see you once again! A little over two (2) years has passed since Yours Truly KJS was fortunate to see the wonderful Judie Tzuke performing live in Worcester hence her much anticipated local date at The Robin 2 in Bilston on the night of Wednesday 28th September was something very much to look forward to. And a special evening it was with singer/songwriter Chaz Thorogood starting the proceedings with an impressive half hour set that combined his own original material, "Falls" being an good example, as well as his bostin' take on John Martyn's "Don't Want To Know".

Songs & Stories [L-R]: Chaz Thorogood, Tallula Tzuke, Judie Tzuke and Graham Kearns ...

After a brief interval, Judie Tzuke appeared on stage with her talented daughter Tallula alongside, longtime musical cohort Graham Kearns and, of course, a returning Chaz. From the first notes of "Enjoy The Ride", Judie's 2008 collaboration with Morcheeba, all the way through to her encore with a reinvented "For You", the classy quartet delivered a stunning acoustic tinged set which encompassed the familiar, the new and the odd inspired cover. This was very much an intimate concert filled with recollections, questions, answers and smiles with both artiste and audience enjoying the moment. Judie performed new songs from her forthcoming new album: "Gold" (her tribute to the late, great David Bowie), "Angels & Pipe Dreams" and "Soldiers" - which all bode well for the aforementioned new release. Four songs were also included from Judie's groundbreaking debut LP "Welcome To The Cruise" to ensure that all bases were covered for the healthy midweek attendance. I loved their treatment of the Joni Mitchell classic "Woodstock". The vocal talents of daughter Tallula were also apparent when she sang "Heartbeats".

One would expect the highlight of the evening to have been seeing and hearing "Stay With Me Till Dawn" again - and, for me, no words can express the beauty of the song, for very many reasons but there is also something so immensely wonderful about "If (When You Go)" and, in this setting, it also reached those heady emotional heights. This was a concert that surpassed expectations in terms of atmosphere and performance. Without doubt, Judie Tzuke is one of the best female vocalists to emerge out of this country. And this gig proved it!

Judie & Graham: "For You"

Judie Tzuke performed: "Enjoy The Ride" (Morcheeba) ~ "All At Sea" ~ "Woodstock" (Joni Mitchell) ~ "So Emotional" ~ "Ladies Night" ~ "Breathe In" (Lucie Silvas) ~ "Heartbeats" (The Knife) ~ "Gold" ~ "Angels & Pipe Dreams" ~ "May You Never" (John Martyn) ~ "Soldiers" ~ "Bring The Rain" ~ "If (When You Go)" ~ "Stay With Me Till Dawn" ~ "For You"

KJS - and another fan - with the luvvly Judie Tzuke

Judie Tzuke performed with: Graham Kearns [Guitars/backing vox] ~ Tallula Tzuke [Vocals/backing vox] ~ Chaz Thorogood [Guitar/backing vox]

Looking forward to more Judie Tzuke dates in 2016 ...

You can find out more about Judie Tzuke, her forthcoming new album and those forthcoming gigs via her official web site thus:

www.tzuke.com

elobeatlesforever (elobf) recommends Judie Tzuke to those enlightened folks who enjoy the music of ELO, Jeff Lynne, Roy Wood, The Move, The Idle Race, 'Brum Beat', The Beatles and related artistes.

Until next "Time" in the ELO [and related] Universe ... KJS ... 30-Sep-2016