Beth Hart simply grows in stature with each passing year, not to say gig. Hitting the stage at another sold-out UK gig in Brighton, she replicated her last visit in 2023, with a hugely excited full-house crowd and her usual sashaying vibe.
Words: Iain Patience Images: Cris Watkins and Louise Phillips
Having seen Hart many times over the years in both Europe, UK and USA, I pretty well knew what to expect, as did most of the Brighton crowd. Hart made her appearance, drifting joyously down the aisle towards the stage, accompanied by her husband, Scot as chaperone. Reaching out to bump fists or shake hands with her faithful, she then took to the stage and the show truly began. Featuring material from across her career, she debuted much of her latest release, ‘You Still Got Me’ here and the crowd lapped it up, as usual!
Hart is nothing if not a consummate actress/actor. She positively commands the stage with her constant, prowling and growling restlessness, one minute sitting there, feet dangling over the stage-end, then whirling around, draping herself over band members and roaring into her mic with raw passion and power. As usual, she was backed by her normal support outfit, a band that knows exactly what they’re doing and does it in absolute style with swagger and pizzaz.
As Hart ripped through the show, the crowd cheered her on and her inevitable encore left the crowd still baying for yet more. It is coming, but not until early 2025, when she will again grace the stages of the UK with her usual class and velocity. The most interesting new track, for me, was ‘Wanna Be Big Bad Johnny Cash’!
Hart as a writer and performer knows exactly what she is doing and her songs are often deeply personal memories put to music, revealing, raw and emotional. Maybe, something worth waiting for…again!
