Joan As Police Woman • Shepherd’s Bush Empire, London (September 9, 2011)

Joan Wasser is no stranger to the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, having graced its stage on numerous occasions, first as backing singer/violinist for Rufus Wainwright then on Joan As Police Woman’s own six feet. Tonight, as this leg of her latest European tour draws to its conclusion, she seems completely at ease with the crowd, laughing and joking in between songs.

A slightly slow start with ‘Anyone’ from 2006′s Real Life and ‘Kiss The Specifics’ from this year’s The Deep Field gave way to a setlist packed with some of Wasser’s finest songs. The second half of the main set was especially strong, from the irrepressibly funky ‘The Magic’ to the concluding ‘Nervous’ through classics like ‘To Be Loved’, ‘The Ride’ and ‘Christobel’. Recent single ‘Chemmie’, though perhaps a little cheesy on record, is another that came into its own in the live setting. Leaping to their feet for a standing ovation after ‘Nervous’, the enthusiastic crowd remained upright for the single-song encore of ‘Forever & A Year’.

Photos by Wunmi Onibudo.

Anyone / Kiss The Specifics / Holiday / Hard White Wall / Flash / Run For Love / The Magic / To Be Loved / Start Of My Heart / The Ride / Chemmie / Christobel / Nervous / Forever & A Year

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Beth Jeans Houghton

Joan As Police Woman

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