Lowry, Manchester, 22 July 2006

It was inevitable that I would witness a Regina Spektor live performance after reviewing her second album, BEGIN TO HOPE. It’s a special album that takes pop and turns it completely on its head; with humour, passion and a vocal virtuosity rarely heard from a young singer/songwriter. That is why I just had to see her. And where better than at the Lowry centre, sitting gloriously alongside the Salford Quays waterway with its bold steel architecture, and facing the sweeping metalwork of The Imperial War Museum across the water.

Supporting Spektor was Only Son aka Jack Dishel a singer/songwriter from New York. A young man casually walked onto the stage who most people thought was a guitar tech making final adjustments. Eventually we all realised that it was indeed Only Son, and a very disinterested one – not nervous, just oblivious to the audience in front of him. His opening songs revealed little accept that he had a decent voice. But midway through his thirty-minute set he seemed to awake from his comatose state; even mumbled to the audience. But more importantly he began to inject more life into songs which improved beyond recognition. I think he suddenly realised that this was a (typically) Manchester crowd who like to encourage artists to give of their best. It was also during the latter half of his set that he introduced I-pod backing tracks of very high quality that added depth and excitement to his performance. During the break after his set people flocked to his sales pitch to pick up his new album and chat with him. It was a mixed set rescued by the last three songs and an audience willing him on to do better.

After a twenty-minute break, during which punters wandered out to bars overlooking darkening skies and water through acres of glass, it was Regina Spektor’s turn to impress a crowd that had grown to fill previously empty seats. A large Yamaha keyboard and a guitar were the only instruments on show, but for the first song she ignored them to walk around with her mic singing a song I hadn’t heard before. It was a simple and powerful opening from a young, shy woman who shed all inhibitions when performing. Her only vocal accompaniment was percussive - her fingers tapping the mic… Immediately I was left with the impression that music is in her blood, and it’s the language she prefers to speak. What then followed was my personal favourite live performance of the year so far.

She then moved to the Yamaha, sat down and looked at the audience revealing a look of wonderment at the very full auditorium. For a former and recent New York cafe performer used to playing to a handful of people she is probably still amazed at the numbers now flocking to her shows around the world. In the UK she has not been over-hyped and her music is not heard on radio. It’s the digital age that is now giving the highly talented a showcase that music-lovers can swarm to, and to great affect.

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Another side of Spektor was then revealed and that is her excellent piano playing skill. Most of her songs are constructed around the piano and on this occasion the Yamaha sounded like a grand piano whether the keys were gently brushed or powerfully hammered. I recounted only three occasions when other instruments were used: On Poor Little Rich Boy when she used a drumstick on the slim gold chair standing next to her while her other hand played the keys. She played her guitar for That Time, and for the encore finished as she started by singing unaccompanied. All the songs were played from the new album, and as good as the album sounds, her live set sounded even better. Vocally she has tremendous range, at times sounding like a very young girl while at others sounding almost operatic (along with her piano). One thing became clear and that was that she has a deceptively powerful voice that reminds me of Ani DiFranco, but to this she adds Eastern European style throat singing – in fact its a voice that is used like an instrument.

Over a period of ninety-minutes she gave a virtuoso performance that was compelling in the extreme, and included over twenty brilliant diverse and melodic songs covering just about every emotion. She’s a storyteller, an observational writer of the highest, most original quality. Each song received a very different vocal and instrumental treatment – songs like Edit, On The Radio and Fidelity were highly rhythmic, while Summer In The City and Samson flowed like a gently running stream, and Better had a bolder rock sound. Apres Moi revealed her classical musical background and Russian parentage with some stunning piano work and spells of her mother tongue. In a show full of quite remarkable moments, this one was supreme.

This was a stunning, heartwarming performance which revealed a startling and brilliant range of songs (with no music genre stone left unturned) and a singer/songwriter on the road to greatness. The transformation from shy, almost bewildered, young lady during the gaps in her repertoire to devastating performer served to confirm that Spektor was born to sing. It was uncanny how she said very little during the gaps between songs but a simple smile held one captivated and connected. For me this was a unique musical event and one I will not forget in a hurry.