BY GEMMA BROSNAN
THE queen of controversy, Sinead O’Connor, performed at The Pigalle Club last night for an intimate, overdue set drenched with signature emotional intensity.
It may have been 19 years since her angelic features and stunning voice shot Prince's ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ to the peak of global greatness, but her relentless, outspoken comments have ensured she is never too far from a headline.
We've seen her rip up a photograph of the Pope live on US television, dabble in Rastafarianism, become a priest with a Schismatic Independent Catholic Group and experiment sexually with a spell as a lesbian.
Unfortunately and unfairly, when most people think of O'Connor these days, they recall her wilder moments and overlook not only her undisputed brilliance, but her championing of female strength, spearheaded by the likes of Madonna and followed by performers as diverse as the Spice Girls, Amy Winehouse, PJ Harvey and Courtney Love.
Now a 41-year old mother of four, the Dubliner’s shaved head has evolved into an a short, messy crop, but her burning stare failed to waiver, willing the crowd to share her pain, dedicating one of her songs "to all the dead people who may be present, and to the hope that none of us die tonight".
She kept her anger just above simmering, revisiting her long hatred for Margaret Thatcher, highlighting her disgust at the evils of drug dealers and denouncing injustice everywhere it’s found.
The lo-fi set was dominated by material from her 2007 Theology album, with her unique blend of grit and beauty still smoothly combined into one great voice, as the crowd eagerly anticipated the most obvious track of the night.
After reverting to that bestselling 1990 album, ‘I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got’ with a 17th-century Irish poem bleakly entitled ‘I am Stretched On Your Grave’, the audience were left spellbound by ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’, confirming O’Connor’s brilliance, regardless of the controversy.
Sinéad O'Connor's album I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got is re-released as a special 2CD set on 13 April on EMI Records
|
