REVIEW: Amy Macdonald at the Brighton Dome

Last night (Sunday, March 31) I had the privilege of hearing her sing live at the Brighton Dome, and she absolutely blew me away.

She has such control over her powerful, folksy instrument, and it sounds every bit as amazing as it does on her albums - I just couldn’t have been more impressed.

And on top of that, as if you needed any more from a concert, she puts on a great night out.

My legs are killing me today, and I don’t think it’s anything to do with the 12k I ran before the gig.

Amy had us all up and dancing from early on in the evening, and even the biggest stick-in-the-muds were eventually forced to succumb to the happy vibe that had us all bobbing and clapping with gusto.

She opened with Fourth of July, Poison Prince and LA, before telling us she and her band had earlier been running around the venue on an Easter egg hunt.

At just 25, Amy has already achieved worldwide fame, but she manages to come across as “just an ordinary girl” from Glasgow. She is perfectly happy, she said, goofing around with her five-piece band, and ordering the latest items from online fashion store ASOS.

However, she did admit that after a few days at home she did find she missed being on tour.

You just couldn’t help but find her genuine gratitude for the position she found herself in as endearing, and we all instantly warmed to her.

After the singer/songwriter played Mr Rock and Roll and very few people got on their feet, we were told we were in danger of becoming one of her laziest-ever audiences.

It was all the prompting we needed, because after that the crowd barely used their seats.

About half-way through, Amy slowed things down with an acoustic version of Love Love.

She also covered Jackie Wilson’s Higher and Higher, which was a crowd pleaser.

Life in a Beautiful Light, the title track from her third album, rounded off the main portion of the evening, before the encore began with two more acoustic tracks - a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s Dancing in the Dark, and then The Furthest Star. They showed her impressive range, but it was the return to the anthemic numbers which really stole the show.

To ensure we went home on a high, she ended with Barrowland Ballroom, and finally Let’s Start a Band, when the floor was literally vibrating because of all the foot stomping.

Amy’s Brighton gig had been due to take place earlier last month, but it had to be postponed due to illness.

They say good things come to those who wait, and as I can honestly say this was one of the best concerts I have ever been to, then I guess that must be true.

This was the last night of Amy’s UK tour, and next week she heads to Australia to support Brian Adams.

As soon as she is back in the UK, I’ll be the first in line to get tickets.

For more information about Amy, see www.amymacdonald.co.uk