Grace Jones ‘Hurricane’ Blows Into Manchester

Posted on 26. Jan, 2009 by baggy in Reviews & Previews

After 19 years since her last (And somewhat disappointing…) release the news that one of Studio 54’s most famous characters would be teaming up many of the Compass Point musicians (Sly & Robbie, Wally Badarou and even Brian Eno) that in the 1980’s helped create the still fresh sounding albums ‘Warm Leatherette’ and ‘Nightclubbing’ into the new milennium with the 2008 release of ‘Hurricane’, was seen with both anticipation and trepidation.

Hurricane is certainly awash with the dub and reggae sensibilities found on her ‘Compass Point’ works but some have questioned the point of revisiting this period when it had been perfected over 20 years previously.

The summer of 2008 saw Grace perform a well received 2 hour concert at Massive Attack’s ‘Meltdown’ festival after which she went on to be the highlight (And the talking point after rumours of diva behaviour) of Bestival 2008 with a surprise performance, leaving us in no doubt that the now 60 year old Ms. Jones is still more than capable of putting on a show and tickets were promptly booked no sooner than the 2009 UK tour was announced.

Kicking off in Birmingham (19th Jan), Gateshead (21st Jan) and Glasgow (22nd Jan) before stopping in Manchester (24th Jan) the diverse crowd were not left disappointed as we were treated to one of the finest performances Manchester has witnessed in some time.

Opening to the ominous post-disco thud of the Bowie penned ‘Nightclubbing’ the audience roared it’s approval after what initially seemed like lacklustre production (In terms of stage set) but from the moment the enigmatic performer set foot on stage you were left in no doubt as to where your focus should lie and quite simply put that focus is on Grace Jones and Grace Jones alone. Having stage presence is one thing but taking control and engrossing an audience single handedly in such a commanding manner is something only very few performers are truly capable of.

The precident for the evening was set as the band alternated between classics and new tracks taken from Hurricane, captivating the audience from the start as we bore witness to many memorable moments throughout the set. In true theatrical style Grace encouraged us to overturn Manchester City Council for not permitting the use of a laser, congratulated Manchester United for their F.A Cup win over Spurs (Which ironically received the loudest response of the evening in the form of a chorus of boos!). Grace playfully responded by telling us to go fuck ourselves in no uncertain terms. The banter between tracks and instant rapport with the crowd was infectious as she encouraged a mini invasion of the stage during ‘Pull Up To The Bumper’, quipped on how she would’ve killed Barry Reynolds (Songwriter) had he given ‘Well, Well, Well’ to Bette Midler (We didn’t doubt her!), Grace even gave us a rare glimpse of her vulnerable side during the personal tributes on ‘Williams Blood’ and ‘Love You To Life’. The 90min show flew by all too quickly.

Theatrics (Not forgetting a different outfit for each song) and performance were only a part of what made for an unforgettable concert. The fact that the Jamaican born singer has a voice that sounds every bit as strong live as on her studio recordings in addition to showing energy more befitting of a woman 40 years her junior, as unique as Grace Jones clearly is there are one or two artists today who could do with taking a long hard look as to where the barometer lies and what level of performance is required to get there.

Every song provided it’s own highlight but to witness the sheer audacity of the woman, here’s my favourite 5 mins from Manchester show caught on video:

Grace Jones – ‘Slave To The Rhythm’ LIVE @ Manchester Apollo Jan 09

Grace still has a couple of dates left on the UK leg of the ‘Hurricane’ tour so if you are anywhere near London for the finale don’t miss out on a chance to catch a living legend still in the prime of her life and clearly loving every moment of it: