Magnificent performance from Emeli

Emeli Sande, Cardiff Motorpoint Arena, Cardiff

IT’S been five years since Scottish songstress Emeli Sande first burst onto the music scene with her hugely successful debut album, Our Version of Events.

But any reservations about her staying power were quickly extinguished when the 5,000-strong crowd at Cardiff’s Motorpoint Arena were treated to a show on Saturday night which was an honour and a privilege to behold.

Support act Calum Scott, a finalist in Britain’s Got Talent, captured the audience from the start with his haunting voice. He seemed genuinely humbled and delighted to be present, singing some of his own compositions as well as a cover of Ed Sheeran’s Thinking Out Loud.

When Sande eventually came on to an elevated stage, it was a shock to see her trademark white hair exchanged for black – but there was no mistaking her excellent, crystal-clear vocals.

Sande started her performance with Hurt from the Long Live the Angels album, and this was followed by Breathing Under Water, Give Me Something and an excellent rendition of Every Single Little Piece. She also sang crowd-pleasers such as When I’m Gone, Clown, Starlight and Read All About It.

Her duet with her guitarist See Beneath Your Beautiful (sic), originally a collaboration with Labyrinth, was a definite highlight, and her voice, stripped back, had an ethereal quality.

This was a magnificent performance and when she spoke it was with humility as she sought to let light into an increasingly dark world.

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