Black Maria

Went to see Maria McKee at The Glee Club in Birmingham last night. It was my first time at the venue, which is predominately associated with comedy acts but now seems determined to showcase musical talents as well (I Am Kloot and Lloyd Cole are to follow in June). It's certainly a bit more civilised than Academy 2, with a glamorous receptionist and cheerful bar staff to boot - but sadly the Guinness was just as pricey.

Caught the second half of support act Woodstar's set. They're a young Irish band with a bit of a cult following over there by all accounts, and their polite but tuneful set suited their surroundings and the audience. They could well appeal to fans of the likes of Travis and Coldplay, but my favourite of their songs was the set closer 'Sorry Skin' which had a bit more bollocks to it and reminded me a bit of Medium 21. You can judge for yourself anyways, as it's on offer for a free download on their website.

First impressions on seeing Maria McKee - she's tiny. Which is a major problem at a venue like the Glee Club where the bands play at the same level as the audience, so I was six people from the stage and still had some initial difficulties in seeing her at all. 'Stand up!' some poor sap shouts at the back. 'She is standing up!' everybody else replies. Until in fact she does sit down at her keyboard at a couple of points, leaving approximately eight people with a good view of her. Short people, eh? Perhaps Randy Newman had it right all along.

Maria McKee may be small but there was nothing tiny about her tears and tantrums as she fully lived up to her burgeoning reputation as a bit of a diva. Since being in Europe apparently she's done nothing but field questions about her late half-brother Bryan Maclean and she's spent the last two days crying her heart out in a hotel room. This may or may not explain her evident frustrations with some of her sound equipment on the night. Add in her dramatic appearance (long, straggly jet-black hair and pale complexion) and what you have with McKee is a one-woman gothic melodrama.

Perhaps only someone who's been brought up in Los Angeles could consider Bordeaux a 'picturesque little village' and yet apparently Britain with its 'terraced houses and rainy pubs'(!) is 'like my second home, a home from home'. Indeed, with her Valley Girl twang still intact, occasionally Maria came over like Kelly Osbourne's dotty aunt. And yet, with a voice like hers, who's complaining? The set had a decent spread of tracks from all her solo albums plus the rather lovely 'Shelter' from her Lone Justice days and a cracking version of Bruce Springsteen's 'Candy's Room'.

Part of McKee's appeal, apart from the fact that she's crazier than a crack-laced coconut, is how she's comfortable with a wide range of styles, be it belting out alt.country rockers, breaking your heart with soaring gothic ballads or intriguing you with her unusual pop songs (good example being the title track of new album High Dive) that are a little reminiscent of the great Kate Bush.

And, without wishing to re-state the obvious, she continues to have an astonishing voice and it felt a privelige to be able to listen to it up so close. She may not be the big box-office she was around the time of No.1 smasheroonie 'Show Me Heaven' in 1990 but the intimacy of her 'indie' 'flea-pit tour' (her words) suits her well. With 'next big things' ten-a-penny in the current era of media hype, it's important not to ignore the immense talents like McKee, that may have been around for a while, but still have something unique and vibrant to contribute. To my surprise, this was one of my favourite gigs of the year so far.

Related link: pictures from Maria McKee's recent tour of Belgium.