It’s not often that big names from the music scene visit North Lincolnshire. We just don’t have venues with the capacity to make it viable, but the arrival of the era of the pop-up arena seems to be changing things in that regard.
The legendary Sir Tom Jones played Market Rasen Racecourse last year, Sir Elton rocked the Lincolnshire Showground in June (QRO photos) and on Saturday night, August 13th, Rasen played host to dance soul diva Jess Glynne, who drew the biggest crowd that the Racecourse has seen in over sixty years.
Unlike some of her contemporaries on the R&B circuit, Glynne has the ability to bring her songs home live, sounding pretty much like they sound in the studio without the need for an MC cheerleading behind her and with the blend of fragility and power that is her trademark undiminished. This night she gave an assured and energetic performance, despite occasional moth attacks and a streamer blowback that left several hundred metres of coloured paper hanging from the proscenium, which looked like it had been the victim of an attack by a cross between the Andrex puppy and a brontosaurus.
From the opening bars of her 2015 number one “Don’t Be So Hard On Yourself”, which she followed with “Rather Be”, the Clean Bandit hit which gave her breakthrough, the audience were dancing and singing along, and they pretty much didn’t stop until the she rounded off with “Right Here” and “Hold My Hand”.
With a lively and highly competent nine-piece band, including three horns who combined to give plenty of depth to the sound, she played a hit packed set but also found time for covers of Amy Winehouse’s “Tears Dry On Their Own” and Prince’s “I Feel For You”, which gave her the chance to show just what an excellent and versatile talent she possesses. She also found plenty of time for interaction with the crowd, keeping their energy levels as high as her own and ensuring that the better part of twenty thousand people were taken home very happy indeed.
