Brandi Carlile review – country for the marginalised excels on the big stage
'I've waited to stand on this stage since I was 12 years old,' said Brandi Carlile, and somehow, she made her achievement feel like everyone's success. Within three songs of appearing at the Royal Albert Hall she had invited her 5,000-strong audience to sing along with her. You and Me on the Rock's evocation of family life became the best wedding karaoke ever.
Carlile has been a voice for the marginalised in the rural roots scene for two decades. But her largest headline show in the UK – part of a five-date UK and Ireland tour climaxing at Glastonbury – suggests her outlier-country is now legitimately mainstream here. Her No 1 album with Elton John played no small part and this setlist paid gracious tribute to her collaborator. She even serenaded him with a yearningly harmonised version of its title track as he sat in his box like a silent angel.
Despite his retirement Elton seemed a constant presence on stage, from the 80s pop-rock of Swing for the Fences to his protege's patter about a recent dinner with David. He even approved the tie to go with her natty black suit, although not her cover of Joni Mitchell's A Case of You. She sang it anyway – sparingly solo, with woozy panache.
Elton may have encouraged Carlile towards her recent rockier sound but it's a gear she has always had. Few artists are so authentically versatile they could open with a lush and timeless crooner ballad, entreating us to Stay Gentle, then immediately unleash the hot-rubber-and-leather vibes of Broken Horses.
Her clarinet-smooth voice stretched to ever greater technical feats throughout the night, until ululations turned to screams and individual notes threatened to hang forever in the ceiling. A fingerpicking acoustic medley paired two her greatest songs about motherhood, and their Art Garfunkel tenderness unleashed waves of catharsis in the largely female audience.
On their feet for Hold Out Your Hand – half Lumineers, half Charlie Daniels Band – the mom rockers were less confident as Carlile ventured into grungier territory and by the time she was duelling guitars with the Hanseroth Twins they seemed a little lost. The show's landing was its sole stumble: a dazzling but late interlude by violin and cello duo SistaStrings indicated that Carlile was on the move, and up she popped up in Elton's box, spotlit by a condenser mic, her BFF sitting silently beside her.
Was it worth the effort? By the time she had raced back for her closer, the show had lost momentum and an expected encore (the house lights staying defiantly down) never came. Still, a minor quibble of an artist who shines just as bright without the reflected sparkle of her diamond-bright duetting partner.
Brandi Carlile is touring the UK and Ireland until 28 June
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Times
26 minutes ago
- Times
Food-shaped candles are latest dinner party trend
If you see some half-melted strawberry tarts or unsavoury-looking fried chicken strewn across the table when you arrive at your next dinner party, don't be alarmed. Your host has not forgotten to clear up their last meal. They are trying to impress you with the latest middle-class homeware trend: food-shaped candles. Selfridges reports that food-shaped candles are now its fastest-selling table decoration and it has had to treble its range to meet demand. A triple layer cake candle weighing more than 2kg is one of the offerings at Selfridges SELFRIDGES The department store said candles in the form of a lemon, a fried egg and red grapes are among its top sellers. Candles that resemble a string of sausages, a slice of Gruyere, a baguette or a strawberry tart are also in strong demand. Prices range from £17 to £95. Leading the unusual trend is Laila Gohar, an Egyptian artist known for transforming ordinary food into striking sculptural and interactive installations, such as a rope of braided mozzarella and a swan made of artichoke leaves. One of Gohar's most popular food candles resembles, quite convincingly, a tin of biscuits. She also sells a set of strawberry candles, although none of her creations come cheap. Her set of four fried chicken candles, thankfully unscented, will set buyers back £38, significantly more than a bucket of the real thing from KFC. Fried chicken candles from Gohar World SELFRIDGES The striking creations have taken social media by storm and the hashtag #foodcandle has had tens of millions of views on TikTok. Some enterprising food influencers have even crossed the line into making edible candles. Erin Dittmer's video on how to make a 'butter candle' has been viewed more nearly 14 million times. This involves pouring melted butter and herbs into a paper cup containing an edible wick and then freezing it. Once solid, the paper cup is torn away, the lump of butter placed in a hole torn out of a farmhouse loaf and the wick set alight. The butter slowly melts down the bread, creating a delicious if messy snack. Erin Dittmer's butter candle in her video on TikTok The latest additions to the Selfridges food candle range come from the Italian firm Introna, which has been making candles since 1840. These include a 'pink pudding' candle at £45, a banana candle at £18 and green apple candle at £18. Selfridges said the strong interest in the candles is part of a wider trend for 'foodie decorations'. Last Christmas, for example, the store doubled its range of food and drink shaped baubles to meet demand. Gregory Krum, buying manager at Selfridges, said: 'If you want to bring a fun talking point to your dinner table, now is the time to think beyond the traditional candle.'
Times
26 minutes ago
- Times
The cocktail set to dethrone Aperol as spritz of the summer
Evoking memories of countryside rambles and summer fêtes, there can be few more quintessentially British flavours than elderflower. After years of underwhelming demand, sales of drinks infused with the taste are suddenly booming, boosted in particular by the sudden popularity of the Hugo spritz cocktail, which younger drinkers are turning to as an alternative to the stronger Aperol. Ocado has reported that demand for elderflower liqueur, a key ingredient in the cocktail, is up by 107 per cent year-on-year. Sales of elderflower cordial and elderflower sparking pressé are also rising, up nearly 50 per cent and 80 per cent respectively, according to the online supermarket. Elderflower comes from the elder tree (Sambucus nigra), which is native to much of Europe and particularly prevalent in the UK. It grows widely in hedgerows, woodlands and along roadsides and has long been associated with British cuisine. The revival in demand for the flavour coincides with an extended period of warm weather. As temperatures in much of Britain have hit the high twenties over the past few weeks, Hugo spritz videos have been going viral on social media. One video by a travel influencer, Juli Cuevas, which declares 2025 to be a 'Hugo spritz summer', has been viewed nearly three million times on TikTok. Many of the comments compare the cocktail favourably with the Aperol spritz, which is typically stronger and has a bitter taste whereas a Hugo is lighter and sweeter. Another video by 'The Wannabe Bartender' showing a guide on how to make a Hugo spritz, which includes prosecco, mint, soda water and lime, has been viewed 1.6 million times. In the video, Henrik Liverod, who has more than 350,000 followers, declares the Aperol spritz 'boring' and tells his viewers that they 'deserve better'. He describes the Hugo spritz as 'lit', slang for excellent or exciting. After drinking his creation, Liverod adds: 'It's summery, it's fresh, it's refreshing, it's mmm, it gives you an orgasm on your tastebuds.' • My evening with the app that finds the best pubs to catch the sun A spokesman for Ocado said elderflower was 'having a renaissance'. He added that the Hugo spritz offered a more 'homegrown take' on a summer cocktail because it was rooted in a 'British flavour'. The drink actually originates in South Tyrol, a German-speaking region in northern Italy. It is reported to have been invented in 2005 by a bartender, Roland Gruber, as a lighter alternative to the Aperol spritz. His original version included lemon balm syrup, often known as melissa syrup, which was later often substituted with elderflower syrup or St-Germain liqueur as the drink spread beyond the region. Gruber reportedly chose the name 'Hugo' simply because he liked how it sounded. My 'It drink' of the summer isn't a putrid orange Aperol or an elderflower cocktail, it's non-alcohol spritz made by Mother Root, which counts Nigella Lawson among its fans and sells in Waitrose for £27.95 a bottle. The British alcohol-free brand launched in 2019 and has been quietly converting cocktail lovers like me with its alcohol-free aperitifs ever since. It doesn't matter that they don't have booze in. They are delicious. I was won over by the limited edition marmalade flavour that first launched in 2023. Then I tried the ginger aperitif, made with apple cider vinegar, blossom honey and ginger and chilli, that came out last year. I'm not surprised it sold out on their website in 20 minutes (it's been restocked now, thank goodness) or that since launching in Waitrose in January, sales have soared by 80 per cent. What I am most excited about is their lovely new limited edition rhubarb flavour, which comes out on Wednesday and is a blend of rhubarb root and apple cider. It sounds delectable served as suggested: ice cold in a champagne flute with cold soda water. Even Nigella is vying for a bottle, eagerly commenting on the brand's Instagram page last week that she'd be ordering some. I will be joining her.
Times
26 minutes ago
- Times
Seven shows to watch after Death Valley
T he cosy, quirky crime drama Death Valley has been a new hit for the BBC in 2025, bringing in an overnight audience of 2.9 million for its opening episode in May and quickly growing a large and loyal fanbase. The murder mystery, written and created by Paul Doolan, is set and filmed in Wales, and achieved the largest audience for a BBC scripted comedy debut for more than five years. Starring Timothy Spall as a curmudgeonly retired actor who teams up with an eager young detective (Gwyneth Keyworth), the series follows the fortunes of the unlikely crimefighting pair as complex whodunnit capers unfold.
