Emma Pollock

 

Emma Pollock walks on stage, picks up her guitar and strums to herself. She fiddles with the tuning and begins her opening song but the background music doesn't fade away. She tries some light-hearted banter instead but, as someone exclaims, her “mic is fucked.”

Then, for the first three songs, each pluck of the bass E string sends the lighting rig rattling...All in all, it’s an inauspicious start.

Things gets better, though, much better. Gradually, the technical issues fade and her songs come into their own. Ranging from Cardigans-esque pop numbers to acoustic guitar flirting with the Pure-Records folk sound, this is a strong, confident display from a fledgling solo star. Despite the hitches and glitches, it is still a performance filled with a wonderful array of styles, executed with unassuming grace.