I kind of missed out on the KT Tunstall thing when she was really big, though she is still a very much recognised name and obviously has more than enough pull to sell out the Theatre Royal in Drury Lane.  But then, her demographic is a very mixed bag.  On most of the rows in front of us in the auditorium were people old enough to be parents, if not grandparents, whereas I was there with my 16 year old step-daughter and girls of a similar age spend ages discussing KT’s leggings in the seats directly behind us.  She seems to be a phenomena that transcends a particular age bracket: no small feat for any artist.

She was supported by a young wild-haired and indie-playing chap by the name of Billy Locket – who very sensibly told us his name several times as this was something of his big break, who sang everything from a piano song about a soldier going to war and leaving his sweetheart behind, to a song called Your Love Hurts, presently No. 18 on the iTunes chart, a deep song about his relationship with his father (Listen to it, then TRY getting it out of your head!!!).  Avidly supported by his lovely mum in the audience, he played his way very capably through several good, hummable songs and won his place in my Inner Respect Book.

KT herself graced the stage at 9pm, spangly leggings (being on of the only women both gorgeous and cool enough to get away with them!) and played a mixture of songs from her new album and some old stuff.  She touched on Big Black Horse And A Cherry Tree, which was spliced with The White Stripes’ 7 Nation Army by use of a kazoo and her eternal friend, the loop pedal, which she used like the pro she is.

What was lovely about the concert was the variety and actual entertainment which went into it.  Between songs she talked to the crowd with the ease of a natural comedienne, who has obviously built up a great rapport and laughs internally at the situations as much as she made us laugh at her stories and anecdotes.  At one point, she was Freddie Mercury and the rest of use were Live Aid, singing No No No back to her in her echo… For which then followed one specifically for the guys in harsher, more grumpy tones.

The scope of her music as well has to be listened to, to be fully appreciated.  She both encompasses the poignancy of Funnyman about her rather ‘mental friend’ and reaches inward to deliver something like Crescent Moon, then jazzing it up with Suddenly I See, though other old favourites such as Other Side Of The World were omitted, possibly because, as KT admitted: ‘Once you’ve got new songs, you suddenly go ‘Shite!’ and realise you have to Google your own song lyrics for your old work… Which is great because somebody else has written them all down for you!’

As someone who was very much a passive fan before – in that I mean I could certainly hum most of her tunes and belt out a good chorus here and there – I’ve since decided I really rather like her genuinely, as she is both supremely talented, with a great sense of musicality and rhythm AND amazing lyricist’s ability, and actually an apparently really nice, genuinely funny lady, with more than a little folk and a whole lot of soul coming through in her new songs.  I’m glad that she been a stayer, and I hope to be listening to her and finding out what she wants to teach other people through her music ten years from now.