Kezia Gill
From Las Vegas to Benidorm in just over 90 minutes – how many other gigs take you on a journey like that?
Nottingham-born country star Kezia Gill returned to Norwich's Waterfront last night, almost two and a half years after she was last here for a sold-out show upstairs in the Studio to promote her last album Misfit. A lot has happened since then, and this time she gets an upgrade to the main room downstairs. We are here to celebrate the release of All On Red, her latest album which has been getting plenty of airplay on the likes of BBC Radio 2. As a nod to the gambling reference of the new album's title she and her band walk on stage to the sound of Elvis Presley and Viva Las Vegas.
They begin with the hard-rocking album opener, Life Is What You Dreamed Of. It is followed by Dublin's Outta Whiskey, the first of three songs on tonight’s setlist that reference the golden Irish liquor. Gill might have been born in Nottingham, but she is of Irish descent and her late father Eddie was a professional musician for over 50 years. Her pride in him, and his influence on her as a role model, are both clear to see.
Gill and her band work their way diligently through each and every one of the tracks from All On Red, cleverly removing any excuses not to go and buy it after the show. And the band are excellent – Steve Shirley on guitar, Andrew Jones on guitar and keys, Phil Donnelly on bass, and Norwich's very own Luke Barrett on drums. Jones even gets to perform his own instrumental number, Girl Of Your Dreams. That leaves time for just a handful more songs – the excellent Whiskey Over Ice from that 2023 Misfit album; Local Mans Star, her moving tribute to late father Eddie; and a sensitive cover of the Bobbie Gentry song Fancy.
But there is also room for some light-hearted showbiz razzamatazz – with Gill firing replica banknotes into the audience during Money In The Bank, and joining the audience on the floor for a spirited attempt to get a line-dance going during If Heaven Has A Honky Tonk.
Opening support came from real-life Tennessee country star Alyssa Bonagura, who also produced the All On Red album, and she reappears onstage at the end to duet with Gill on the main set's closing song, This House Would Sing.
Kezia Gill famously never performs encores, but for tonight we are treated to a rendition of the gloriously uplifting and happy nonsense that is Oh Benidorm!, her hilarious and oh-so catchy ear-worm of a song, packed with lyrics about Brits on holiday in Spain, beer, booze and sunshine, Black Chicken Karaoke, and trips to Stick Vickys. It is a song that will be going straight onto my summer playlist!
From Las Vegas to Benidorm in just over 90 minutes – how many other gigs take you on a journey like that? Two hugely talented country rock stars doing it down by the Waterfront in Norwich. A great gig, a great crowd, and a great atmosphere. We leave to the strains of Sweet Caroline, and summer suddenly doesn't seem so far away. And good times never seemed so good.
