Those of you who ever saw Saint Jude back in the day (the “day” being sadly very short - 2010 to 2012), you’ll remember their extraordinary front woman Lynne Jackaman. How that HUGE voice comes out of that TINY woman is one of the wonders of the 21st century. She’s been trying to get a solo career off the ground since the end of Saint Jude due to death of guitarist Adam Green in 2012. There’s been the occasional gig and occasional EP since then, but her real push has been a crowd-funded Soul album recorded in none other than Fame Studios in Muscle Shoals in deepest Alabama. Having soaked the Aretha and Etta James vibes out of the bricks and got them down into digits, the album’s post production has been a work in progress for a year or so now. But despite it’s non appearance in a physical form, this the third time I’ve seen Lynne and her band perform it in it’s entirety in London in the space of that year. And as you’ve probably guessed by now it’s fantastic. There’s echoes of Saint Jude of course but there’s also a solid core of sixties Southern Soul and material with huge emotional heft. UK based guitarist of note Jamie Evans was instrumental (pardon the pun) in getting the album together, having co-written, arranged and produced it.

He’s here tonight along with a band that includes Tom Williams on bass and King King’s Wayne Proctor on drums. Blimey he gets around - this is the fourth different band I’ve seen him with in the space of about 10 weeks! One song - ‘Beautiful Loss’ - is a lovely tribute to lost friend Adam Green and is performed with just Lynne and Jamie - as are several songs tonight - but the majority of the set is full on and Funky with brass section Johnny O’Neill & Nick Etwell parping away giving extra welly away at the back. If you’re curious to hear these songs, Lynne has released an ‘Unplugged’ set performed at London’s Palladium last year on a support slot with just Jamie on acoustic. Sadly it’s poorly recorded - it sounds like an audience bootleg - but at least it gives an outing to some of the songs while the album is in gestation. But I have the feeling that 2019 is the year that Lynne will at last come back with a huge bang with an album that will get her a LOT of attention.

Set List:
Nobody’s Fault (But Yours)
Copycat
I’ll Allow You
On Your Own Now
One Shot
Sooner Or Later
Beautiful Lies
Supernasty
Red House
On My Own Stage
Records On

Pete Elphick (photos courtesy of Bruce Biege)