Brooke Combe review: ‘Charisma, wit and a voice to match’

Lauded as one to watch by major publications such as The Guardian, Rolling Stone UK, NME and the BBC, to name a few, it’s very easy to see why Combe is such a highly regarded talent. Her confident debut record ‘Dancing on the Edge of the World’, which featured Blossoms’ Charlie Salt on bass, was independently released in January to critical acclaim and came following her departure from Island Records, a move that was bold but certainly paid dividends for the singer.

On stage, the singer is highly charismatic, engaging, talkative, assured and comedic. Quips that included her reflecting on her hatred for her stepmother in the introduction of ‘L.M.T.F.A’, a rendition which is delivered full of attitude and with scaled-back arrangements that consisted purely of Combe’s silky smooth vocals and Danny Murphy’s signature guitar lines.

As for the staging, Combe opted for a minimalistic approach, and it certainly paid dividends. There were no visuals to accompany the performance, there were no pyrotechnics, and there was nothing complex in terms of the lighting. The focus was merely on the masterful musicianship of Combe and her five-piece band, and the approach worked to perfection.

Launching into a rendition of the soulful ‘This Town’ with tambourine in hand to open the show, the raw power of Combe’s mesmerising vocals left the audience hypnotised and set the tone for what would be an eye-catching performance. An acoustic-led rendition of ‘Guilt’ is delivered with conviction in Combe’s vocals, and a duelling guitar solo puts the icing on the cake before piano-led performances of ‘Shaken By The Wind’ and ‘A-Game’.

As the night progressed, ‘Talkin’ Bout Heartaches’ is enthrallingly upbeat and is soul at its finest, and ‘Lanewood Pines’ fully showcases the striking power in the singer’s voice before Combe’s quip of “let’s hope we don’t butcher it for you” led into a cover of Seals & Crofts’ ‘Summer Breeze’ that featured a spellbinding solo from Murphy and some funky bongo grooves. The irresistibly catchy ‘Pieces’ and ‘Black is The New Gold’ followed and left the audience in a state of awe before ‘Miss Me Now’ and ‘Butterfly’ provided an injection of pace and a shot of adrenaline to the bloodstream before a three-punch combo of ‘Are You With Me?’, ‘The Last Time’ and ‘Dancing at the Edge of the World’ closed out a thrilling night of live music.

With charisma, wit and a voice to match, Combe is truly the real deal, and it’s safe to say that the sky is the limit for her as an artist.