Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10
Natalie McCool is quite rightly considered one of the finest singer/songwriters in the north-west, either male or female. Her presence on stage is matched by her demeanour, confidence and stunning ability that once you have seen her play live once, you will go back time and time again to relish the sound you have heard. Whether as a solo intimate acoustic set or, as the growing trend seems to be, infront of an audience during Sound City 2013 that crowded the interior of Leaf to bursting point in the slim chance that they can catch a sight of her perform. One of the most talented in the region, more like one of the most eagerly anticipated acts in the country.
The approach, her style is simple, exhilarating and damned impressive. However get beneath the outer core of the performer and what you find is a woman who is not only reaches into your gut and sets your musical insides on fire, stoking it liberally and smiling whilst she does so, she is grounded, modest enough to know when the fire needs to be doused as she makes sure it is her music that takes all the plaudits.
The crowd at Leaf which had seen and enjoyed the French band Lolito, suddenly seemed to increase ten-fold. Standing room only was certainly the order of the day and it proved to those that have seen this wonder of guitar over the last year that whilst the intimate shows are fantastic to watch, the real pleasure sits in the hand of the band experience and this young woman is heading to bigger and bigger venues if she continues to give performances like this.
Joined by her band, Natalie strode through her half hour with the assurance of a colossus, in the same vein that audiences in the city would appreciate the Merseyside greats such as Ian Prowse, Ian McNabb and Ian McCulloch, Natalie held court in Leaf and never once gave anything less than her absolute best. Tracks such as the opener America, Fortune, Size Zero, Black Sun and Nightcall, all songs that have appeared on Natalie’s debut album released in the last couple of weeks, were greeted with enthusiasm from all corners of the venue.
The sky is the limit for Natalie; she has already demonstrated highly that she is good; this gig confirmed the phenomenon to come.
Ian D. Hall