October Gigs, Part Four: Hailey Tuck

Hailey Tuck

The Crypt, Middlesbrough Town Hall

21.10.2018

Sometimes, it happens like this...

I 'discover' a singer by chance, investigate their tour dates and find out they are appearing locally, in the very near future!

That is exactly how I happened to be in The Crypt on a Sunday, attending an afternoon featuring excellent and varied acts as part of the Middlesbrough Jazz Weekender.

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This was Middlesbrough's first jazz festival since 1978 - which was held at Ayresome Park. I was fortunate to be able to share a table with two very nice ladies, one of whom had been at the 1978 event and had just returned to going to jazz shows following the death of her husband a year or so ago.

I enjoyed the sets by Aurora and the Ushaw Ensemble, both of which featured the more experimental side of jazz, but it was my original mission which brought me the most pleasure.

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Hailey Tuck is currently one of music's best-kept secrets, but that will not be the case for much longer. Her debut album, Junk, is simply wonderful.

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Think Gatsby; think flappers; think the Roaring Twenties. This is the world inhabited by Hailey Tuck.

The songs are well-chosen and include a 1920s-style version of The Kinks' Alcohol, a fine song its own right, but one that is given a whole new twist, Tuck-style.

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Hailey's set was fresh, original and uplifting. I will certainly be keeping a close eye on her tour dates.

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Find out more over at Hailey's official website.