Hecklergigs: Cat Power, Shepherd’s Bush Empire, 27/1

As informed members of the music buying public, there are a few things that you should know before reading a live review of Cat Power.

Not the fact that her real name is Chan Marshall (pronounced ‘Shaun’), nor that she has recently become the face of Chanel, handpicked by Karl Lagerfeld himself.

No, we refer to the Winehouse - sized back catalogue of problems that recently looked set to cut short her career.

Marshall had been getting herself a reputation for stage fright, cutting gigs short, refusing to face the audience, and re-starting songs repeatedly.  

Then, in 2006 she had her third spell in hospital, suffering from depression, stress and alcohol problems (her rider did include a case of beer and a bottle of scotch), and the showbiz vultures began to circle.

However, this is certainly no Britney, and following a full recovery, she is touring to promote her eighth album, planning a ninth later this year, and generally being celebrated by all and sundry.

As well as the Chanel appointment, Marshall has played some career-defining gigs, kicking the nerves to the kerb and seemingly enjoying herself. She’s even playing Jude Law’s girlfriend in forthcoming movie My Blueberry Nights, but hey, everyone’s got a cross to bear.

The nanny-chaser isn’t here tonight, but interest remains high. Bobby Gillespie is lounging in the VIP area with Kevin Shields of My Bloody Valentine, and downstairs, a capacity crowd are anxiously awaiting their heroine.

We get her band, the Dirty Delta Blues, first, and after they strike up a mood of sultry excellence, Cat Power emerges stage left, cigarette in hand. It seems we have the Marshall of old when she turns to her organist (who also finishes the ciggy) for opener Don’t Explain, but as she settles in, not even the smoking ban brigade is worried.

Her thick, dark voice pours over the audience in a set mainly taken from current covers album Jukebox, giving particularly incredible performances of Sinatra’s New York, New York and She’s Got You by Patsy Cline. There’s still plenty of room for surprises though, and we get plenty during a fine show, with a version of Tracks of My Tears that would floor even Smokey Robinson.

Of course, there’s still a little Cat Power eccentricity left to go round, and she treats us to her strange shuffle-jog of a dance (quite good) and her cockney accent (less so).

Still, while Dick Van Dyke can rest easy, it seems that Cat Power has truly turned a corner in all other areas of her game. She’s so at home here that she chats to the crowd, picks up the flowers thrown onstage and balls up the setlists before leaving, serving them up as curveballs to the back rows.

So it seems that soon, you won’t have any need for the case history. All you’ll need to know is that if you get the chance to see this lady sing, you really should grab it with both hands.

[story by Tom Atkinson]