Paloma Faith – Piece Hall

Alan Dearling invites his friends in Yorkshire to air their opinions of the Paloma Faith experience!

It’s part of the 23 date UK tour: ‘The Age of Optimism’

The tour was organised in support of Paloma Faith’s fifth album, ‘Infinite Things’. Many of these dates were re-scheduled from the postponed 2021 tour. Tickets were exchanging hands for between £120-250.

This sold out event in Yorkshire took place open air in the courtyard in the iconic Piece Hall in central Halifax. A very, very special space indeed. It is the last remaining Georgian cloth hall/trading space in the world. And, it is a superb example of re-purposing, with its grand open quadrangle and terraces of shops, bars, eateries and emporiums. Piece Hall re-opened in August 2017 replete with its immense 66,000 square foot open-air courtyard. Outside of live concerts, Piece Hall has become the home of a life-size statue of theiarist who is now cited at the ‘First modern Lesbian’, Anne Lister (perhaps now better known as Gentleman Jack) by Diane Lawrenson.

This venue is one which has featured many major ‘stars’. It’s fast becoming a world-class outdoor stage. Paloma Faith now joins with music legends, Tom Jones, Paul Weller, Primal Scream, Nile Rodgers and CHIC, Rod Stewart and Manchester indie favourites, Doves, among the headliners appearing live at The Piece Hall.

Paloma Faith Blomfeld herself is perhaps now equally known as a judge on TV’s ‘The Voice’ and an actress in various TV and film roles including as the villainess in ‘Pennyworth’, the Batman prequel released in 2018. I rather liked her first film performance as Sally, opposite Tom Waits’ as the devil, Mr Nick, in Terry Gilliam’s warped, flawed film which includes Heath Ledger’s final film role in ‘The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus’.

From Wikipedia, we learn a bit more about double platinum album-selling, Paloma Faith: “In March 2014, Faith’s third album ‘A Perfect Contradiction’ was released. It became her fastest-selling album to date, debuting at number two in the UK and receiving a double platinum certification. The lead single ‘Can’t Rely on You’ produced by Pharrell Williams, became her second top ten in the UK.  The album’s second single ‘Only Love Can Hurt Like This’, written by Diane Warren, became her most successful single to date, reaching number six in the UK.”

Here’s the official Paloma Faith website: https://www.palomafaith.com/

Anyway, before I hand you over to Joanne, Sean and Dan for a few of their words and pics from the Piece Hall concert, here are a couple of my own photos taken at the Piece Hall, 24 hours before the show.

Dan told me that “She sounded just like her records, even better live. Great acoustics at the Piece Hall. Well organised – a lot of security rules. On entering we were stopped and my partner had to go out to hide her little bottle of perfume and set an alarm on her phone to remind us to pick it up on the way out to the train.”

Looking at the Piece Hall ‘rules’, even umbrellas are banned, and just one sealed small bottle of water is allowed.

Sean added, “Great atmosphere.”

Joanne: “I’ve seen her five or six years ago in Manchester. She were better this time. Fantastic show. The audience gave her lots of support, especially on the song, ‘Take a little piece of my heart’ made famous by Janis Joplin, and her big hit, ‘Only love can hurt like this.” 

Looking at the pics and video clips of the event, it’s clearly evident that this is a million miles from the muddy fields of Glasto and Latitude festival culture. Very much more like one enormous Karaoke-fest! Ladies in heels and glam, local lads with pints in hand. A veritable ocean of mobile phones.  But it all looks very good natured!

Thanks to Joanne for the pics from her phone…

The Piece Hall website:

https://www.thepiecehall.co.uk/