WITH A CAREER SPANNING FOUR DECADES, THIS DEFIANT NEW YORK POET AND HER MUSIC HAVE STOOD THE TEST OF TIME – JUST DON’T CALL IT NOSTALGIC…

ST GEORGE’S, BRISTOL

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30 JUNE

This Bristol date was the fifth and final night of the UK leg of the unofficially-named Down Under All Over Tour to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Suzanne Vega’s criticallyacclaimed album Solitude Standing. It began with a bare stage in this ornate former church graced by Gerry Leonard, whose electric guitar riffs moved Vega’s sound away from the pure and harmonious folk to an edgier offering, just as the dance duo DNA pulled her acoustic masterpiece and set-ender Tom’s Diner into the realms of club banger and worldwide hit.

Donning her top hat for Marlene On The Wall, Vega’s sweet-as-honey vocals proved as smooth as ever as she led the audience from one story to another; from first person to third and back again. Lots of names. My name is Luka. My name is Calypso.

Vega’s ability to capture an audience with whispered poetry never fails to impress. The title track from Solitude Standing showcased this perfectly.

“That last one was more of a whispering, this one’s more of a shout”, she said before unleashing the right degree of attitude for Blood Makes Noise.