Beth Hart
- Mark Donnelly
- 3 days ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
"For those seeking the antithesis of AI, look no further than Beth Hart: honest, authentic, original, inspirational and spontaneous. You will not find a more human performer."
Support this evening came from Wille & The Bandits, the ever‑adventurous British outfit whose blend of Rock, Blues, Folk and Latin influences has long marked them as one of the UK’s most distinctive touring acts. A healthy crowd had already gathered by the time they took the stage at 8.30 PM, performing in a rare duo configuration: Wille Edwards handling vocals, acoustic, Weissenborn and lap steel, alongside Harry Mackaill on bass, acoustic guitar and harmonies.
Although I usually favour the full‑band experience, the stripped‑back setup revealed a different side to their songwriting. Much of the band’s catalogue is rooted in acoustic textures or adapts naturally to a more intimate setting, and tonight’s performance leaned confidently into that space. Opening with ‘Love Me When The Fire’s Out’, Edwards Country‑tinged lap‑steel work set a warm, rootsy tone before the pair moved into a sequence built around twin‑acoustic interplay, Edwards’ slide lines cutting cleanly through the mix. He delivered a standout solo during ‘Four Million Days’ that drew a strong response from the room. The title track from their previous album ‘When The World Stood Still’, written during the COVID‑19 pandemic, carried added emotional weight in this format, while a Funk‑leaning ‘Keep It On The Low Down’ saw Harry switch to acoustic bass to great effect. The set closed with a superbly delivered Robert Johnson cover, played with grit, reverence and a clear love for the Blues tradition.
Although I usually favour the full‑band experience, the stripped‑back setup revealed a different side to their songwriting.
Throughout the half‑hour performance, Edwards’ vocals were in commanding form — rich, resonant and perfectly suited to the exposed arrangements — while Mackaill’s harmonies and rhythmic grounding added depth and character. It was a concise but impressively varied set, one that demonstrated how adaptable the band’s material can be when stripped back to its core. This was my third show in four days, having seen the Queen musical We Will Rock You on Friday at Sheffield City Hall and Yacht Rock legend Christopher Cross at York Barbican on Saturday. Musical fatigue was a real possibility — but not with Beth Hart.
Hart is the poster artist for wearing your heart on your sleeve
I first saw Hart in 2024 when she was touring her superb ‘War In My Mind’ album. I went as a casual fan and left a convert. Hart is the poster artist for wearing your heart on your sleeve, both in her songwriting and her live performances, and tonight was no exception.
She walked out alone as the lights dropped — some in the audience even mistook her for a roadie — and immediately spoke about losing her sobriety in 2020 and the long road back. Then, without accompaniment, she delivered a stunning a cappella ‘As Long As I Have A Song’. I’ve seen this close a show, but never open one. In an instant, Hart turned a theatre performance into something intimate and confessional; at times you almost felt protective of her, but performing is clearly cathartic, and like many geniuses, she lives close to the edge.
Moving to her piano at the front right of the stage, she played ‘Tell Them To Hold On’ as her band — guitarist Jon Nichols, bassist Tom Lilly and drummer Todd Wolfe — joined her. ‘Swing My Thing Back Around’ from 2012’s ‘Bang Bang Boom Boom’ followed, before two highlights from ‘Screaming For My Supper’: the always‑emotional ‘Skin’, written about her late sister Sharon, and ‘Delicious Surprise’, which saw Hart front and centre, kneeling at the edge of the stage for audience participation.
if Ann Wilson once made Robert Plant cry, Beth Hart would have had him shaking!
She praised Melody Gardot before performing ‘Your Heart Is as Black As Night’, then apologised — unnecessarily — for tackling Led Zeppelin’s ‘No Quarter’ and ‘Babe I’m Gonna Leave You’. With Lilly on organ and Nichols on acoustic guitar, both were delivered with such power that if Ann Wilson once made Robert Plant cry, Beth Hart would have had him shaking! From Hard Rock she pivoted to the playful Country of ‘Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash’. Hart has long understood that British audiences aren’t quiet out of boredom but out of respect, and tonight she was hypnotic, mesmerising and utterly spellbinding.
‘With You Everyday’, written the day she married her husband Scott 25 years ago, was especially touching — made even more so when Scott came onstage to kiss her at the end. ‘Thankful’, usually a set‑closer, appeared mid‑show, while ‘Mama This One’s For You’ was performed solo, dedicated to her estranged mother. Lilly returned with a double bass for a tremendous rendition of ‘War In My Mind’. ‘The Ugliest House On The Block’ and ‘If I Tell You I Love You’ (another Gardot cover) were played acoustically, the latter turning the quartet into a smoky Jazz combo. Although a setlist existed, it was clearly fluid, giving even more credit to a band able to change direction instantly. ‘Broken And Ugly’ was nearly dropped until Hart realised fans wanted it. A gorgeous acoustic ‘Lullaby Of The Leaves’ showed her at her most vulnerable, before she returned to the piano for the main‑set closer, the epic ‘Don’t Call The Police’, inspired by the needless murder of George Floyd. We all want Hart to be happy, but her anger and pain undeniably fuel some of her finest writing.
A gorgeous acoustic ‘Lullaby Of The Leaves’ showed her at her most vulnerable
The main set ebbed and flowed unpredictably — sometimes thrillingly so — and while I’d have welcomed a few more rockers, the three‑song encore more than compensated. ‘Rub Me For Luck’, dedicated to her friend and collaborator Joe Bonamassa, wasn’t on the original setlist but was a welcome addition; I’ve always thought it would make a great Bond theme. Nichols shone with a glorious solo on the magical ‘Caught Out In The Rain’, before Hart declared she wanted to come back as a man — specifically a pimp in the music business — and launched into ‘Pimp Like That’, from her last studio opus ‘You Got Me’.
After two hours, the four musicians earned a fully deserved standing ovation. Without the strict 11 PM curfew, Hart might well have played another hour. For those seeking the antithesis of AI, look no further than Beth Hart: honest, authentic, original, inspirational and spontaneous. You will not find a more human performer.
Setlist (contains spoilers)
Wille & The Bandits: Love Me When The Fire’s Out / Got To Do Better / Four Million Days / When The World Stood Still / Keep It On The Down Low / Crossroad Blues.
Beth Hart: As Long As I Have A Song / Tell ‘Em To Hold On / Swing My Thing Back Around / Skin / Delicious Surprise / Your Heart Is Black As Night / No Quarter / Babe, I’m Gonna Leave You / Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash / With You Everyday / Thankful / Mama This One’s For You / War In My Mind / The Ugliest House On The Block / If I Tell You I Love You / Broken And Ugly / Lullaby Of The Leaves / Don’t Call The Police
Encore: Rub Me For Luck / Caught Out In The Rain / Pimp Like That
Review: Mark Donnelly
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