Tim Finn / Amy MacDonald

Amy MacDonald fits the clichéd stereotype of the little girl with the big voice. The 19-year-old singer-songwriter from Glasgow is blessed with the kind of clear, gutsy vocals which can’t be faked. (Think of the folk sensibilities of Jewel mixed with the raw female energy of The Cranberries' Dolores O’Riordan).

	"taking to the stage with just a microphone and an acoustic guitar, Amy’s voice is near note-perfect and resonates around the Queen’s Hall with gusto."

It is not then, her voice which poses the problem; taking to the stage with just a microphone and an acoustic guitar, Amy’s voice is near note-perfect and resonates around the Queen’s Hall with gusto. The problem is not even the songs; opener ‘This is The Life’ is catchy without being annoying, and ‘The Footballer’s Wife’ contains some nice sentiments about those females of the species who live up to their “WAGs” title of shopping, shopping and more shopping.

The problem then, is the way in which these sentiments are presented. The lyrics within the songs are too often on the safe side, and at times immature. On ‘Poison Prince’, a dedication to Ex-Libertine Pete Doherty, Amy expresses her concern for a man who could “soon be knocking on heaven’s door”. Likewise on ‘The Youth of Today’, she fittingly sings, “We are the youth of today; don’t care what you have to say” with all the maturity of a line which could have been freshly churned-out of lyrics-by-numbers.

Although the vast majority of the crowd are clearly here to see the main act, Amy is warmly received and is able to hold the audience’s attention until fragile closer ‘Run’. However, it is inevitable that in performing an acoustic set, not only would Amy’s musicianship and voice be laid bare, but also the words which are projected through the songs; it is just a shame that she doesn’t seem to possess a strong mix of all three as yet.

Tim Finn, of Split Enz and Crowded House fame is the main attraction tonight, and it becomes clear from the outset that he has a loyal following. Although the musicianship of his band is to be admired, Tim himself is, at times, woefully out of tune at various stages throughout the night. The highlight of his set is Crowded House’s 1991 hit, “Weather With You”, which causes many of the women nearer the front of the stage to display the type of affection more commonly seen at a Take That reunion show.

You get the feeling that Mr Finn could have played the worst set in history tonight, and those women would still be following him around for many years to come.

FUTURE GIGS

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