There are two things that Canadian Cate Canning does repeatedly and repeatedly well tonight at her gig in Birmingham: apologise profusely for being below par – a result of “going too hard” on her second headlining UK tour – and constantly injecting the set with bucket loads of charm and energy that totally belies the fact that she isn’t feeling top notch.
Opener “Girlfriend” has her bouncing enthusiastically and carefree across the stage, belting out the lyrics and knowingly tipping the mic to an eager crowd who belt the words back to her. When the call comes out from the singer for added crowd participation to help bolster the songs and support her through, it is answered with gusto.
After a fierce start, the backing band of guitarist and drummer leave the stage for Cate to catch her breath and with guitar in hand roll out a selection of songs; giddy pop replaced with emotive Country style storytelling. ‘Manic Pixie Dream Girl’, a track she admits to hardly ever playing live weaves in Taylor Swift’s ‘Bad Blood’ inciting whoops of recognition. ‘Maybe’ passages into ‘Jolene’, her slightly cracked vocal adding grit to the heartbreaking plea of Dolly Parton’s classic. An unreleased track ‘Cowboy See Cowboy Do’ receives its maiden live outing and is in keeping with the mood and style of this slower and considered “singer-songwriter” section of the gig.
With the band back on stage “Can’t Wait To Be Pretty’, one of Cate’s best tracks to date, is accompanied by keys and then, as if rejuvenated by the wholesomeness of her storytelling, finding nutrition in the ritual of sharing her hopes and fears with a like-minded audience, she hits hard with the punch of ‘Get Better’, the room pumping and hollering in fangirl unison again. ‘Stupid’ and latest track ‘One Hit Wonder’ keep the atmosphere euphoric and the energy high. A funked up ‘U Want Me’ brings something different to the table. The deep cut of ‘Moments’ about “a boy I never knew but wanted to” completes the set and would serve as a soft landing for the singer, but she still has enough left in the tank to blast out ‘Groupie’ before her night is done. Scratch beneath the surface of Cate’s pop veneer and there is a true, talented and on this performance resilient country girl at heart.