Karima Francis: The Sugarmill: Stoke
Blackpool has a couple of plus points at the minute, currently providing us with Little Boots and Karima Francis, either of whom could be the most important of the rapidly growing clique of female singer-songwriters, Karima Francis certainly knows how it should be done. The crowd isn't exactly the most helpful, made up of the “headline” act Scott Ashley's friends, they chatter and murmur throughout, missing an artist they will soon be very familiar with. Francis takes this all in her stride, “I knew there were people here to see me, so I played to them.”
The forthcoming album is set for critical acclaim, already featured as one to watch in The Guardian, her voice is something that will do nothing but bowl you over. Standing timidly on stage showing the lack of confidence she openly describes afterwards, but showing only signs of this being a misguided hesitance, her voice comes from nowhere, a voice as strong and wide-ranging as hers shouldn't come from someone so small. It's not just a heartfelt and emotive voice, she has the songs to show it off, the storytelling of 'The Author', the sincere and powerful 'Hold You' but missing was the cover of Kings of Leon's 'Use Somebody', as earlier support Brohnis had already stolen her thunder.
The album itself is a band effort and she admits she's going to have to start touring as a band to recreate it but at the minute the intimacy holds your attention and shows off her truly astonishing voice that little bit more, and she's all the better for it.
Words: Jack Phillips
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