WORTH A LOOK?: ***
WHERE?: KOKO
WHEN: 1/3
SETLIST: Wild Forever; Death of Love; The Deer And The Wolf; Unrequited; Don’t Shy Away; Cassandra; 13 Little Dolls; Mixed Up World; Today the Sun’s On Us; I Won’t Change You; Get Over You; Young Blood; Crystallise; Love Is The Camera; Come With Us; Take Me Home; Lady; Groovejet; Sing It Back; Heartbreak Make Me A Dancer; Murder On The Dancefloor; Here Comes The Rapture
Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s most recent two albums have seen her step away from the dance floor where she made her name and try her hand at something a little more ambitious.
- Read on for reasons including who Sophie’s surprise guest was
Much of the first two-thirds of this set are made up of thoughtful, introspective, guitar-led songs from those albums Wanderlust and Familia. It is perhaps no surprise then that the co-writer of both those sets, Ed Harcourt, joins her onstage for the last night of her tour.
It is in the final third of this set when Sophie embraces her back catalogue of pop hits and peppers it with inspired covers, including Modjo’s Lady and Moloko’s Sing It Back, that things catch fire.
It’s a trick she’s used to great effect previously not least when touring her comeback Wanderlust album which signalled that indie change in direction. Familia is a little more upbeat, particularly lively stand-outs Come With Us and Wild Forever, both used to great effect here, and we hope her next album will feature much more of the same.
We very much approve of the use of Twitter to ask for requests in an acoustic section of the show which this night included an unexpected airing of Get Over You but wish our choice, I Know Enough by Sophie’s band Theaudience had featured.
A game of two halves then with plenty of audience participation and one which finished with an absolute pop rush.
monstagigz 
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