Review: Adele, The Journal Tyne Theatre

Apr 26 2008 by Paloma Kubiak, The Journal

HER nervous approach to the microphone contrasted with the confident magnitude of her hour-long performance.

Adele, tipped as the next best thing in 2008 and already with a platinum number one album under her belt, took to the stage at the Tyne Theatre on Thursday. Her mature voice and sultry lyrics on life, love and heartache seemed to recall the experiences of someone beyond her tender youth and yet these were the words written by a 19-year-old London girl.

She looked uncomfortable on stage and confessed that she was more used to playing in front of 11 people rather than 1,100. It was only when the bass and lead guitarists and string quartet fell silent that Adele really came to life – just one girl, one guitar and one hell of a raw talent.

Daydreamer, her breakthrough single from the debut album 19, was a touching and poignant performance telling the story of the heartbreaking moment when she found out her boyfriend had cheated on her.

The audience sat in silence while the lights glistened in Adele’s eyes. And her uniquely soulful cover of The Coral’s Dreaming of You would not sound out of place on Radio 1’s Live Lounge.

Her latest single, Cold Shoulder, a collaboration with Mark Ronson, received a big round of applause but, predictably, the loudest and longest clapping came at the end with Adele’s hit single Chasing Pavements.

As a former pupil of the Brit School of performing arts, she has been likened to Amy Winehouse for her elastic, soulful vocal range and to Kate Nash for her charming London chatter.

Her giggly, schoolgirlish prattle and singing of the famous Byker Grove theme tune struck the right chord with the theatre full of Geordies.

The audience instantly warmed to Adele – casually dressed in jeans and a smock top and sipping on her tea – and she was welcomed with shouts of “you rock”.

Adele showed all the talent and makings of a star but without the attitude. She certainly gives her contemporaries a run for their money.