PUTTING ON THE RITZ....

Had a top-tastic night out last night when the Jolly Girls outing took us to Manchester to see KT Tunstall at the Ritz. I've heard much about the Ritz but had never been there, so off to Whitworth Street just off Oxford Road we headed after a meal stop in the city centre. The Ritz is an iconic dancehall dating back from the 1920's. My dad even danced there in the early 50's! We were hit with that heady buzz of anticipation when we first walked in. The place is gloriously dark, intimate, with a springy dancefloor that your feet stick to with a trillion split pints of Boddingtons. It smells weird, the bar staff are quirky, and it's just a perfect little gem. Many famous bands have played there - The Stone Roses, Arctic Monkeys, Happy Mondays, The Smiths and even a little band called the Beatles. As soon as KT started her set, you soon realised the place had superb acoustics which made the place absolutely rock. I'm a big fan of hers anyway, but last night she was on top form. There were plenty from the new album but she really wowed the audience with her oldies 'Black Horse and the Cherry Tree', 'Saving My Face' and my absolute favourite, 'Heal Over' which much to my chagrin, moved me to tears. Her finale built up to climax with a truly awesome new track 'Madame Trudeaux', a cover version of Erasure's 'Give a Little Respect', then her rip roarer 'Suddenly I See'.  
Watching years of the turgid X Factor fodder and going to huge stadium tours, it was totally refreshing to go to an intimate and atmospheric venue to watch musicianship at it's best. Even though my feet stuck to the carpet and the place stuck of dirty underpants, it gave me a huge reminder as to why I love music and live gigs at these types of venues. You connect with it, you're part of it, you dance like a banshee, you sweat like a racehorse on steroids and you  spill beer down yourself.. but I wouldn't have swapped last night for anything. I also got to meet up with my lovely nursing buddies who are not only rock chicks, they know how to shop for Manchester's bargains in Ugg boots as well. Awesome...