"Don't criticize another person's work until you've tried to do it yourself; don't judge another person's life until you've been forced to live it."

Imelda May

Sheffield O2 Academy

Having already seen Imelda May twice in the last couple of years I knew this was going to be good but this gig exceeded all my expectations. With a set lasting almost two hours Imelda's flawless performance took the audience through a journey of classic rock 'n' roll influenced by rockabilly, blues and jazz.
Imelda and the band (Darrel Higham, Al Gare, Steve Rushton and Dave Priseman) hit the stage rocking with "Pulling the Rug" and "Love Tattoo" followed by the blues classic "Spoonful" and a terrific cover of Johnny Burnette's "Tear It Up". I'm not about to reel off the entire 26 song set list here but further highlights for me included the beautiful ballad "Kentish Town Waltz", new song "Gypsy", "Roadrunner", "Proud and Humble", "Psycho" and of course "Johnny Got a Boom Boom". After the obligatory break for the crowd to clap, stomp their feet and shout for more the encore wrapped up with "Tainted Love" and a double dose of Elvis's finest "My Baby Left Me / That's Alright Mama".
With a mainstream music scene currently dominated by throwaway pop idols and endless R&B clones it's a pleasure to hear artists of this calibre producing quality music with originality and style. Do yourself a favour, next time Imelda's in town get along to the gig, you'll not be disappointed. Check out the website at http://www.imeldamay.co.uk/  for more info, music and videos.