21: The Music of Adele – theSpace @ Symposium Hall

Ella McCready comes from an early life immersed in the music of Adele, a true fan, which is very apparent in this performance. Close your eyes, and you could easily be in the front row of an intimate audience with one of the all-time greats. Her voice is remarkably similar, singing and phrasing are faultless which is obviously a good thing, right?

McCready’s tender, breathy, rendition of When We were Young, which she acknowledges as one of her all-time favourites, and mine, is one of the undoubted highlights of this dedicated homage.

However, there is always a fine line between mimicry and artistry, and this walks perilously close to the former. In danger of becoming the equivalent of listening to a greatest hits album, salvation here comes from an unlikely source, the skins. The drumming becomes the star of this show, first in Rumour Has It, the beat pounding out a concussive tirade in the tight confines of the wonderfully acoustic Symposium Hall, and later in Set Fire to The Rain and Rolling In The Deep. Inspiring, my (long-suffering) wife to consider a drum set purchase! So good for letting out aggression.

Beaten out of our torpor, so to speak, this is a reminder that live music is live music.  In addition, an added bonus if you will, this is a cleverly curated and narrated show, with some interesting facts and video clips, and ultimately an enjoyable and nostalgic 50 minutes of high-quality music, which fans of Adele will love!

Reviewer: Greg Holstead

Reviewed: 12^th August 2024

North West End UK Rating:

Running time – 50mins