Paloma Faith at Somerset House

Paloma Faith returned to London’s Somerset House for a second night, showcasing songs from her new album Fall to Grace as well as performing the hits from her debut album Do You Want the Truth or Something Beautiful? In accordance with that question, tonight she was both.

Dressed head-to-toe in sequins, the Hackney pop-star exploded onto the stage with Blood Sweat & Tears, followed by debut single Stone Cold Sober, immediately elevating her fans into Paloma’s world.

Greeting the crowd with a minute or two of light-hearted interaction, Faith went on to describe her life as “miserable” and followed with a series of mellow love songs from her number 2-charting second album. This is a side of Paloma we’re perhaps not used to seeing.

Offering honesty by describing her heartache, the pint-sized pop-singer sat elegantly on top of a piano and said “I want to sing a realistic fairy-tale”. Wanting to portray a modern-day love-truth, Paloma told it like it is in Just Be, all the while presenting herself as though she were a fairy godmother with the microphone as her wand.

Celebrating real self-body image, “I love anything that wobbles” she proclaimed, Faith moved away from misery and onto a sillyness we know and love. Classic Paloma, she began parading the stage whilst preaching about “wobbly bits” in a song not on either of her albums. Despite the song being unreleased, “the wobble song” went down a treat and both crowd and stage became a carnival of cheekiness as Paloma shook around “getting jiggy with it”.

Going back to a slightly more serious note, the songstress made a speech about her dislike towards authority figures. Of course, seriousness in Paloma’s world is uniquely conveyed. “Give work the excuse that you won’t be in tomorrow because you’re having breakfast with the Sultan of Eastern Outer Mongolia”. With that said, fans were brought onto the stage to dance with Paloma for Freedom.

Taking the chance to explain her songs, Paloma ensures her messages are fully understood, making the night less of a “gig” and more a musical narration of Faith. She ended the night with New York and returned for the encore with three more songs, including latest single, Picking Up the Pieces. Warmly received, the crowd left delighted, enriched and acquainted with Paloma Faith’s “Upside” and “Down”.

Nicola Jones 

For further information and future gigs visit Paloma Faith’s website here.

Watch the video for 30 Minute Love Affair here: