Watching Beverley Knight perform does feel like you’re watching an all-time great. Her voice, brimming with soul but steely in its attack and precision, is one of the finest to come out of the UK. Even more impressive is that it never falters despite the demands of a high-octane, relentless set. This Royal Albert Hall show – part of the second leg of her ’50’ tour – largely mirrored last year’s set at the London Palladium, with the unexpected yet welcome addition of Radiohead’s ‘Just’ – almost unrecognisable when paired with Knight’s rafter-shaking vocals. Evergreen tunes from Knight’s formative years – ‘Made it Back, ‘Greatest Day’ – have never sounded more self-assured, benefitting from loose, more funk-inclined arrangements. The set’s acoustic detour shone a light on Knight’s poignant lyricism with ‘Fallen Soldier’ (a tribute to Stephen Lawrence) and climaxed with the Carl McIntosh co-write ‘The Need of You’. Like last year, this was the evening’s indisputable high point, with angsty yearning imbued in each syllable.

Read my interview with Beverley Knight for Rolling Stone UK HERE.