Live Review: Corinne Bailey Rae – The Wardrobe, Leeds. 16.08.24

As soon as Corinne Bailey Rae shimmered on to the stage at the Wardrobe in Leeds, it was clear we were in for a special evening. The Wardrobe, now in it’s 25th celebrated year, has a series of events planned to mark the anniversary, and this was one of the best.

Corinne talks of playing there in her early days, and how exciting it was back then to have another venue in the city committed to live music, especially jazz. Tonight, she has brought a mix of her older back catalogue and the new, critically acclaimed, and Mercury Prize shortlisted work Black Rainbows.

Indeed, the standout numbers came from this new record. New York Transit Queen, an anthem to female empowerment and inspired by a photo of New York Transit pageant winner Audrey Smaltz. Gritty guitars and punchy rhythms grab the crowd. The lyrics reimagine this photo as powerful, tough and sexy and what Bailey Rae describes as “flyers for all girl band nights”

Towards the end of the set, Put It Down makes sure that the energy does not fall away. “Dance out your woes” Corinne implores, as the strong rhythmic beat pulses into a more insistent dance beat. As the song progresses, lasting maybe 10 minutes or more, it feels like we’re transported to an underground NYC jazz club. A lengthy sax solo swirls while Corinne jumps from the stage to dance with the crowd. In this latter part of the set, there are some excellent jazzy solo interludes, especially from Kyle Bolden on guitar.

Some people leave as Put Your Records On draws to a close, but while they were getting ahead of the traffic, they missed the sweet and soulful closer Star which drew the evening to an exquisite close.

In such an intimate setting, so close to her heart, we really got the chance to appreciate the quality and realness of Corinne Bailey Rae’s songwriting. Her tour continues and whenever you get a chance to see her, make sure you don’t miss it.