Photo: Lazy Pineapple
Sherwood Pines might well be Nottingham’s most underrated gig venue. Thousands packed into the middle of Sherwood Forest for this gig featuring the straight-from-Glastonbury Paloma Faith and homecoming boy Liam Bailey.
Liam kicked things off with a selection of tracks from his forthcoming album Definitely Now. In particular his renditions of Fool Boy, Black Moon and On My Mind were seeping with pathos. You might spend some time asking who he sounds like and toss around names like Sam Cooke and Otis Redding, but he has that rare gift of a voice that is distinctively his own.
Liam looked chuffed to be playing so close to home after a rural tour that has so far taken in Westonbirt Arboretum (Gloucestershire), Bedgebury Pinetum (Kent) and Dalby Forest (Yorkshire). Constant shout-outs to Nottingham are not a rare thing in his shows, see the first five seconds of his Glastonbury set with Chase and Status back in 2011, but it always goes down better in your home territory.
Photo: Lazy Pineapple
He managed plenty of banter with the crowd too. At one point when the ladies were requesting he “get his kit off”, he remarked that he didn’t want to inflict his man-boobs on them, although I’m sure they wouldn’t have complained. At another point he played a much-shortened version of It’s Not The Same (a song that hasn’t made it onto his long-awaited debut album) after being petitioned by two particularly vocal members at the front of the crowd.
A short break and up came Paloma, who had played Glastonbury the day before and only managed three hours sleep – poor lass. Still, she was as theatrical as ever belting out New York, It’s The Not Knowing and then upping the tempo with a cover of the Jimi Hendrix classic Purple Haze (which she said was an indication of the direction she wants to go musically from now).
She ended the set with her recent hit Picking Up The Pieces and some fairly blatant hints there would be an encore. Two minutes later she was back for another half hour of belters including girly favourite Only Love Can Hurt Like This.
Sherwood Pines is a great setting for these gigs. Tom Odell, Union J and The Vamps have already done their sets (as well as Liam and Paloma) but we highly advise you keep your eyes peeled for more events at this lovely countryside venue in future.
Paloma Faith and Liam Bailey played Sherwood Pines on Sunday 28 June 2015. Liam Bailey's debut album Definitely Now is released on Friday 10 July 2015.
Paloma Faith website
Liam Bailey website
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