LIVE REVIEW – Lucy Spraggan, 2/5/2019

Lucy Spraggan with support from Joseph Dunwell of The Dunwells at Ironworks, Inverness.

Lucy returned to Inverness following her main stage appearance at Belladrum 2019, on that occasion she was with a full band. This time round she has returned to her acoustic roots to promote her new album ‘Today Was A Good Day’.

Her support for the evening is a regular collaborator , Joe Dunwell of The Dunwells. He had supported Lucy last time she played the Ironworks (read the review here), although that time big brother Dave had supported him.

Joe’s luscious tones are intoxicating and The Dunwell’s tunes lend themselves well to the solo reworkings, with stand out being ‘Hey Now’. Cover of ‘Creep’ is very cleverly reimagined but perhaps the self loathing lyrics are too much of a contrast for the audience here to be uplifted and charmed, regardless it’s worth checking out .

Joe engages with the crowd with an amiable charm “It’s getting hot in here” he mentions mid set, an audience member can’t control herself, responding with “so take off all your clothes”. It’s unfortunate that the brave move of being fully acoustic for last song ‘Light Up The Sky’ didn’t quite pay off but even Mumford & Sons struggled with that when they tried it at the venue.

It’s a good crowd in for Lucy, not sold out but a busyness that really benefits the general positive vibe of the evening. The set-list, an obvious compilation of greatest hits and new material starts with ‘Fight For It’ and up-lifting, empowering tune that  sets the tone for the evening.

Lucy appears very conscious of the fact that her fans may not respond to her newer tracks as well, a fear that was clearly unfounded although she appears genuinely touched that fans dance and sing along to the tracks regardless. Certainly her new material showcased tonight focuses on a positive frame which oozes out of the likes of ‘Home Wasn’t Built In A Day’,’Lightning’ and most certainly title track ‘Today Was A  Good Day’ dedicated to her wife, who perhaps was too busy managing the merch stand to notice.

The banter is fun and charming but the stories from her last few years may have gotten a bit repetitive for fans that have seen her often in her frequent excursions North. Fortunately, for the most part her stories have been replaced to feature new insights including a particularly touching introduction to the significance of ‘Uninspired’ to Lucy’s musical and emotional journey.

The first live performance of ‘Put The Kettle On’ with Joe Dunwell replacing Ray Stride is an absolute triumph the different dimension that Joe offers creates a far different dynamic and depth of an already strong tune. Of course the ‘hits’ are all present and correct, with ‘Last Night’ still feeling as fresh and fun as it was when it made it’s first appearance on X-Factor. “I’ll need to play this for the rest of my life”, Lucy quips.

Finishing with the same theme as we started with; ‘Unsinkable’ allows the audience one more time to party with ‘the Spraggan’. It’s an appropriate show closer for what is a great, revitalising evening for Lucy and her fans.

Check out photos of the evening;