Wrexham Central Station, 5 March 2008

The most hyped UK acts at the moment is Duffy who hails from North Wales. I can’t think of another artist who has appeared twice in a single season on Jools Holland’s Later TV show, or one that has received so much airplay, and zoomed to the top of the charts with a single and album in super-quick time. The young lady certainly possesses natural vocal talent, honed over a few years through live gigs and an appearance on a Welsh TV talent show (where she came second). Duffy has hooked up with good management and the writing/producing talents of Bernard Butler who have helped her achieve so much in so little time.

All this meant that I was a little puzzled why an artist of this ‘stature’ was appearing at Wrexham’s Central Station. My associate suggested it was because she was still polishing her live act in smaller venues before launching herself onto much larger venues and internationally. Perhaps so but the fact remains she could have easily filled the town’s 1,000 plus capacity concert hall, with its excellent acoustic quality.

Outside the venue touts were selling £7 tickets for up to £50, and on arriving inside found it was crammed.

I labour the point because I was there to review the lady’s performance and had to leave early because an objective assessment was just not possible due to the sound quality. However, I was located in the photography pit where I could both see and hear her while she performed the first two songs of her set. The first thing that struck me was that she is much more attractive than she appeared on TV and in the print media. Stunningly beautiful she is not but she possesses a distinctive and homely look that is striking.

With Dusty Springfield style flourishes and backed by a strong four-piece band, she demonstrated what a powerful voice she has, without undue effort or drama. She also appeared comfortable with her audience as she introduced songs and chatted. But just as she was getting into her stride my residency in the pit came to an abrupt end as our stay for three songs was cut to two by Duffy’s manager, and I was forced to leave. After struggling to the back of the venue (to catch the rest of the show) it became clear that I would be wasting my time as I could neither hear or see her.

But I had seen and heard enough to know that she is one of the more talented female newcomers (and there are a few…). Songs like ‘Mercy’, ‘Rockferry’ and ‘Serious’ certainly meet the demands of the mainstream and radio, but I do hope that she will eventually tap the full potential of her talent with songs of far greater stature and real emotional depth. A great singer still needs great songs…

She has since become the darling of the great white wave, and ends the year on a high that she will find hard to duplicate next time around, enjoy it while you can…