Sister Shocked at the Union Chapel

It was a delight to see the ever wonderful Michelle Shocked at the Union Chapel tonight, and it really is a chapel, which was quite appropriate. Michelle wandered on stage, just her, her guitar and great voice and a head full of songs from the last 20 years.

The show was unplanned and she flipped a coin to decide whether she'd play songs with titles starting with A-Z or Z-A, and we got Z-A. Michelle started off with 'When I Grow Up' from 'Short, Sharp Shocked', her break- through album in the '80s, and half-way through the song snapped a string. She finished the song and gave it to her helper to fix another string while she did a vocal version of 'Quality Of Mercy' with the audience as her backing singers. She wrote that song for the 'Dead Man Walking' soundtrack. When the guitar came back it was out of tune and throughout the event Michelle went back to tuning it.

The event was fabulous, with people shouting out songs vaguely alphabetically and Michelle playing them - if I'd had the nerve I'd have shouted out 'Prodigal Daughter', a song I'd love to see her perform. But I didn't. It was an impressive performance, that she can wing it like that and that she has more than enough material to take that approach to a show. Most of the songs were from 'Short, Sharp Shocked' but none were played like you'd expect, lots of improvisation and lots of talking in the middle of songs with anecdotes and personal history and experiences. She's a very warm and witty person, at one point commenting that she was becoming a diva since her new album mainly comprises other peoples' songs and that's what divas do, they 'interpret'. Michelle as a diva? Chortle!

The highlight of the show for me was 'The Ballad of Penny Evans', a powerful anti-war song sung unaccompanied, her powerful and fearless voice aching with the sorrow of war-widow Penny who, at 21 loses her love and has two children to bring up alone and refuses to rely on Government charity. That song always brings a tear to my eye and seeing and hearing Michelle sing it in front of me did it again. That was a memorable performance.

Other highlights were the marvellous 'Anchorage' and 'Come A Long Way', cheeky versions of 'Waterfall' and 'V.F.D' and a sing-alonga-'Chelle version of 'Strawberry Jam'. For her encore she got some of the audience up on stage to be her backing singers and got the audience singing along to 'Amazing Grace'.

I had a great time and loved it! Chris commented that it wasn't so much a gig but more of a 'happening' and he's right. Michele happened all over us! She's coming back in January with the full band for a tour so I'll be there again. That will certainly be a different experience but, for now, I'm proud to have been part of the 'Chelle Shocked Choir.

Michelle was over here for one day to celebrate the release of her new album, 'ToHeavenURide', a live bluesey-gospel set released on her own Mighty Sound label, which I bought at the show. I'm listening to it at the moment and, being Michelle, she's got to be a bit different by including a reggae gospel song, o yes... She sounds like she's having great fun! Listening to this record will bring back happy memories of the show tonight.