Music
31 Jul 12

Jessie J

Having left fans waiting an extra 24 hours due to a delay in getting her equipment to Cork, Jessie J has surely had lots of time to complete a decent soundcheck. Despite this, she takes to the stage with a truly ropey rendition of ‘Do It Like A Dude’ – something The Voice judge is quick to blame on the acoustics. Remarkably, she follows this by asking the largely female crowd not to be so loud in their screams of appreciation.

To her credit, Jessie J never strays into demanding-diva territory, and while her early efforts are effectively carried by her backing singers, she eventually adjusts sufficiently to show off her impressive vocal range while occasionally taking the gymnastics too far.
By and large, most songs are misses rather than hits. There’s also far too much banter. But the night does have its moments. She shows a likeable self-deprecating side, dedicating a cover of Luther Vandross’ ‘Never Too Much’ to parents who don’t like her music. And the finale of ‘Domino’ rouses the Leeside crowd too.
The most memorable moment of the night is a hilarious case of mistaken identity that sees someone who doesn’t know the words to ‘Price Tag’ being hauled up on stage to sing, instead of the super-fan who had tweeted our performer prior to the show.
Nonetheless, the majority leave happy, if not bowled over by what they’ve witnessed.