Music / Betsy
Review: Betsy, Thekla
Occasionally a band or artist biography strays from the standard, ‘The greatest band ever out of Nempnett Thrubwell’, makes the most jaded hack take notice by including some random snippet of information. Dance-pop-diva in the making Betsy is one such artist and the stand-out fact from her biog was that she was brought up on a goose farm in Wales. You don’t see that very often.
And you don’t often see a pop artist, for Betsy is definitely a pop artist, perform as if they are playing a packed Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The likelihood of Betsy scaling back her performance and vocals is minimal to say the least. From the minute her all female band took the stage and she made her dramatic entrance to violin, cello and synths before some serious drums kicked in she belted out a string of infectious, electro-dance tunes. The crowd, a diverse mix of ages, styles and orientations loved every second and many of them knew all the words. At one point towards the end of the set, in a pretty damn sweet moment, Betsy picked out her Mum, who’d been a ball of energy on the dancefloor getting everyone involved and dancing, and thanked her.
Whilst the music may not be the hippest and most experimental you’ll hear, it worked incredibly well live. It is straightforward dance-pop, sometimes straying into hi-energi and vocal house but above all it is super-catchy and well-constructed. She definitely has a knack for a banging tune and lyrics which are decent and better than most pop lyrics.
is needed now More than ever
Stand out tracks during the set included the soulful ballad Rosie which reduced one burly chap to tears and on which Betsy sounded like a Chicken Shack era Christine McVie. Other highlights included the massive sounding Lost and Found, single Little White Lies and Heavy Head which bravely, bearing in mind the comparisons in the media to Cher, segued into Believe.
Betsy’s performance was bold, confident and nailed every note and tune and whilst Cher references may crop up a bit too frequently she accepts and celebrates them. Betsy may be more Radio 2 than 6Music but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
There is still a place for a pop-diva with a sharp wit and intelligence who genuinely connects with her audience. It’s unpretentious and it was a pleasant change to see an artist sing right into the camera on someone’s phone when they were being filmed rather than having a hissy fit about it. She’s an unashamed Glamazon with a knack for a cracking dance tune. Budge up Cher, Tina, Mariah and more Betsy is ready to join you.
Photo: Aileen McArthur
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