Candie Payne / The Draytones Birmingham Bar Academy Tuesday 22nd May 2007

Hot on the heels of The Great Escape I was off again...oh my ears. Anyway, I'll keep this as short and sweet as the gig was (and it was pretty short and sweet).

Openers The Draytones are as 60's as they get (even down to the clobber). Kind of like The Coral in places and even the mighty Buff Medways in others (check out Keep Loving Me). The sound wasn't the best, but then that's the Bar Academy for you. Nice harmonies and guitar solos and a great way to unwind after the artrock/rap fest of The Great Escape's final day (a musical sorbet then).

Candie Payne played a short (30 minutes or less) set that didn't showcase her voice (think a lighter Dusty Springfield)as well as it might (down to the sound in the venue, not the artiste herself). Many of the tracks sound as if they belong to some kind of really cool '60's spy flick starring Michael Caine (or Cayne in this case), a bevvy of dolly birds and blokes called Bert the Brick who are 'propa bad un's' . I kept wanting some horns and strings to kick in (there were none tonight but they are there on the recorded toons). Listen to I Wish for classic Payne and I defy you not to fall in love with it all.