After a year of lockdowns and closed venues, Paloma Faith gave her audience a show that was worth waiting for at the London Palladium.
GAY TIMES attended Paloma’s show on 23 October and yes, we can confirm that everyone needs to hear Picking Up the Pieces live at least once in their lifetime.
From her billowing golden gown to the stories of working with legends like Prince, it’s clear from the beginning that this is going to be camp.
Paloma opens the show with Last Night on Earth, a fitting track given what we’ve all been through since March 2020.
This is a singer who has clearly missed performing live, as each lyric is delivered more triumphantly than the last.
There’s no shying away from lockdowns and the pandemic for Paloma, she talks to her audience about it frequently, in fact.
But, instead of delivering a show marred by COVID-19, she relishes the chance to be back on stage and treats the evening as a celebration.
Touring to promote her latest record Infinite Things, which reached the top four of the UK album charts, Paloma lightheartedly brushes off its commercial performance.
She jokingly says: “It’s actually my least-selling record, so anybody in here who hasn’t got it yet, screw you because you’re a part-timer!”
Photo: Elliot Morgan
After plowing through fan favourites such as Gold, Guilty and Just Be, most of the venue’s seated audience has stood up to enjoy the show.
Not enough to please Paloma, though, as she tells the rest that it’s time to get up and stay up before diving into a medley of four of her most popular songs.
Stone Cold Sober is one of the night’s highlights, delivered as the icon dances on stage with her backup singers seated on the steps around her.
It’s followed by a quick succession of Stargazer, 30 Minute Love Affair (complete with a story revealing that the song is about buskers in London’s Leicester Square), and Upside Down.
It’s hard to deny that the evening peaked in the best way possible with Picking Up the Pieces, especially given the energy Paloma delivers it with as she jumps up and down on stage.
Throughout the concert, Paloma’s quirky and unique personality shines through when she talks with the audience about her career – including a story about being thrown on stage with Chaka Khan to sing I’m Every Woman and not knowing the words to the song.
It seems that time heals all wounds, though, as she proceeds to cover the song and sings it as effortlessly as if it’s her own.
In an evening which is likely the first concert a lot of the audience has been to since the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, Paloma intimately draws it to an end by asking the audience to wave the torches on their phones in the air as she sings Only Love Can Hurt Like This.
Paloma will be embarking on a huge UK summer tour that kicks off in Edinburgh in June 2022.
The extensive 23 date tour will run throughout June, July and August 2022 and will see Paloma play a number of outdoor locations including cricket clubs, city squares, parks and racecourses as well as a handful of indoor venues in cities and towns she has not visited for a number of years.
“I’ve been touring my recent album Infinite Things and it’s been so invigorating seeing everyone out on the road around the UK,” Paloma said. “I’ve loved playing live again and I am beyond excited to announce my Summer 2022 tour. I love nothing more than singing for you all and hearing you sing back to me. There’s nothing like it.”
GAY TIMES gives Paloma Faith’s concert – 5/5
Paloma Faith’s The Age Of Optimism summer tour opens 2 June 2022 for more information and tickets click here.
Photo: Elliot Morgan
Photo: Elliot Morgan
Photo: Elliot Morgan
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