I had the pleasure of seeing Duffy play live at Carling Academy Oxford (Zodiac) Sunday night, March 9th. It was a sold out show, with Duffy and her 6-piece band performing upstairs. I was surprised that she wasn’t playing downstairs in the larger capacity venue. It was a bit snug upstairs, packed, but more intimate.

The crowd was varied. There was a group of younger girls excited to see Duffy behind me and as I looked around there was a mix of all ages. With Duffy’s shows selling out, and having the current #1 album (’Rockferry’) and single (”Mercy”), it’s refreshing to see that her old school soul is drawing so much interest, as opposed to what seems to have become the norm - indie.

Duffy’s music sets such a mood that it’s strange watching her in a venue without seats. It’s easy to imagine a setting with tables and candles, like in the old black and white films. Keeping that in mind, her show is great for couples, first dates - and if you’re getting married, her CD would be perfect for the reception.

Duffy started out the set with her sexy, classic debut single, “Rockferry”. It was a great choice for an opening number. Radio favorite “Warwick Avenue” also sounded good. Other songs included “Serious”, “Stepping Stone”, “Delayed Devotion”, “Breaking My Own Heart” a slow, stripped down version of “Syrup and Honey” with Jon Green on guitar, “Tomorrow” and of course, crowd favorite and most anticipated, “Mercy”.

She’s fun to watch on stage - with her subtle (possibly choreographed!) moves, her band is tight - and what a voice.

Occasionally in between songs Duffy would mention her excitement of her album and single being at #1 in the charts. At such an early stage in her career, you can’t blame her for being excited!

For more information, go to:

Duffy on Myspace
Duffy Official Website

By: Jenny May - BandWeblogs.com