Blessed with songwriting flair and a street-smart attitude, Peckham’s Kathleen Brien (Katy B) is the perfect 21st century pop star, who, even on the desperately low-budget video to her current single Crying For No Reason, manages to look like a silent movie siren. Last night, the 24-year-old passed a test that was as much about character as music.
Confronted with a far-from-full small venue, hampered by two out-of-synch dancers and stymied by a trio keenly contesting the Grammy for Sulkiest Backing Band, the former BRIT schoolgirl, better known as Katy B, behaved as if she had sold out an arena. Declaring “I’m more excited than you,” she threw herself into a selection of tracks from her forthcoming Little Red album, her follow-up to her dubstep-lite debut, On A Mission.
The epic Crying For No Reason is the barnstorming ballad that may make and define her career. Like its close cousin, Robbie Williams’s Angels, it was co-written by Guy Chambers. The whopping throb of Lights Out closed proceedings in rocket-propelled fashion, but there was no encore, only the sense that she deserves a better hand than the one she was dealt last night.
Earlier, in an evening which showcased MTV’s Brand New competition for the hotly tipped and fresh of face, George Ezra’s deep voice and acoustic guitar hushed a chatty crowd. He’s part a more youthful Seasick Steve, part a grittier Jake Bugg, and his tracks Casio and Budapest promised much.
Ella Eyre is a pitbull of a performer, and her voice veered between croak and roar. A graduate of Millfield and the BRIT school, she sang on Rudimental’s hit Waiting All Night, and her own track Deeper had the stamp of longevity. It’s hardly an outside bet, but we’ll be hearing more of all three acts.
