Amy Winehouse
Cardiff University
6th March, 2007

Embracing hip-hop production values, laddish mannerisms and tabloid inches was a sure-fire route to mainstream success for Amy Winehouse, and the over-crowded Cardiff University is an indicator of the success enjoyed since chartmainstay Rehab. The jostling crowd made for the perfect sweat-andsmoke- filled atmosphere for a jazzblues singer, yet the anticipation built by a long delay was always likely to lead to anti-climax. An unfamiliar track from Frank was a stumbling start, but soulful, grooveled interpretations of Tears Dry On Their Own, He Can Only Hold Her (merged seamlessly with Lauryn Hill’s Doo Wop) and Addicted suited her entourage, and kept the audience’s attention. Amy’s drawl is distinctive, her pronunciation compensated by powerful vocal warbling and improvisation. Despite a provocative stage manner, there was a deluge of mid-paced ballads, including a sombre Some Unholy War. Even so, the atmosphere was celebratory by the time Amy closed on a wickedly perverse take on The Zutons’ Valerie.