KT Tunstall live at The Olympia

If there’s a more infectiously enthusiastic female performer than KT Tunstall, I’ve yet to come across her. The Scottish singer-songwriter, unheard of a year ago, oozes the kind of charisma and girl-next-door charm that makes for a refreshing change from the wistful and mournful personas of most in the genre
She certainly had the mainly female audience in the palm of her hand for the first of two sold-out shows, in what was the perfect venue for her accessible folk-pop fare.
That she doesn’t take herself too seriously helps. Addressing the male minority in the house she quipped, “So who got brought along by their girlfriend then? It’s very polite of you to come.” Unwittingly, that comment sums up her appeal as a purveyor of astutely observed mini-dramas of the heart like ‘Under The Weather’ and ‘Miniature Disasters’
Despite her mainstream approach, it’s harder to pin her down musically. One part PJ Harvey, one part Sheryl Crow and one part Janis Joplin, Tunstall is blessed with a powerful bluesy voice that can handle emotionally demanding material and pop songs alike. Ranging from tonight’s opening number – the catchy hit ‘Other Side Of The World’ to the now mildly irritating ‘Black Horse And The Cherry Tree’ – the set was beautifully paced, climaxing with her other big hit ‘Suddenly I See’, a pop gem if ever there was one. By the last encore of the relatively short set she’d left the audience baying for more with the poignant ballad and final track on her album ‘Through The Dark’.