Review: Caro Emerald - Manchester Arena

Caro Emerald has been a big success in her native Holland and the rest of Europe before she was discovered by the British public. Her style of music goes back to the days of the big bands playing swing and jazz.

You could imagine seeing her in a small jazz club and it was interesting to see how she would transform her show into an arena setting but with her charm and rapport with the audience she managed to pull it off.

A lone guitarist appears on stage before Ms Emerald appears on stage behind a screen performing I Belong to You. It would not be hard to imagine the track being a theme song to the latest James Bond movie.

The gig covered most of the songs from her two albums. With 3 costume changes she certainly puts the effort into her shows both visually and vocally. An acoustic version of Paris, from her second album, worked well.

She kicks off her heels so she can dance to Liquid Lunch; it encourages the audience to get up on their feet. Throughout the show she appears at ease and seems to be a natural on stage.

Ending the gig with her big hit, On A Night Like This, the 90 minutes she had been on stage had passed too quickly.