Jessie Ware: Wearing It Well On Tour

With four costume changes in a ninety-minute set, no one could accuse Jessie Ware of not making an effort. As part of her That Feels Good! tour, the acclaimed singer arrived at Manchester’s Victoria Warehouse for the second of two victorious concerts.

The immense warehouse is not the most convivial venue for a concert, but by turning the place into The Pearl, an imaginary cabaret club, the London artist succeeded in making the atmosphere seem more intimate.

With Ware introducing her band and dancers, there was no mistaking who was the Mother of Pearl. Now, with five albums to her credit, Ware had a strong back catalogue of songs at her disposal.

Whether singing pop and dance tracks or contrasting ballads, there were many sides to her character, all adding to her charm. Her in-between song banter almost began to carry her away as she declared her love for the city.

Her performance owed a lot to dance and mime; for every arm or hand movement, there was a pose to accompany it. Her audience was as mixed as her songs, making it hard to categorise Ware. From the pounding beats of Freak Me Now to the northern soul of Hello Love to the jazz-tinged What’s Your Pleasure? She served up a palate of many colours.

The mystery of why Ware is not a household name still prevails; tonight felt like the audience were being treated to a secret party, albeit a glorious and glamorous one.

By the time she concluded with Beautiful People and a cover of Cher’s Believe, her fans had been taken on a journey of escapism and, most of all, fun.

With Candi Stanton’s hit, Young Hearts Run Free, playing over the PA system as the audience filed out of the venue, it seemed to conclude what we knew all along: that Ware was indeed a disco diva where the pleasure will always be extra special.