Review: Carol Kidd & Nigel Clark

Carol Kidd & Nigel Clark, Brunton Theatre, Musselburgh, Monday October 3 *****

There’s something about the voice and guitar combination that’s special – and when it’s Carol Kidd’s voice and Nigel Clark’s guitar, the effect can be magical. That was certainly the case on Monday night when they paid a return visit to a venue which has already had the rare pleasure of hearing this duo play a whole concert.

It turned out to be a great evening – and the Brunton is a great place to hear this classy double-act. Although the auditorium was packed, the atmospheric lighting and clear views from all the seats (which look down on the stage) created an intimate mood. And, since the seating was arranged in a semi-circle around the stage, Kidd was able to draw everyone in and really connect with the full-house audience.

Clearly more at home in this setting than she was at her Edinburgh Jazz Festival gig earlier this year (in the less personal Hub venue), Kidd confined her patter to vivid tales of her childhood holidays down the road – and had the audience in fits of laughter. They were already on-side, though, having been won over by such gems as the raunchy blues You Don’t Know Me and the gorgeous ballads There Goes My Heart, Moon River and I Got Lost in His Arms, which underlined not only Kidd’s ability to invest every word with emotion but also the sensitivity of Clark’s accompaniment and responses.