Most people who know me, know I live a pretty hectic and crazy life, I am never in the same spot for more than an hour and my blackberry is my life, without it I can’t operate, my life is controlled by one device. Last Friday (24/05/2011) I had the privilege of going to see a real soul legend, the wonderful and delightful Sade.

Sade is so low key it is unbelievable and very rarely tours and even rarer are any media interviews. Trust me I tried and I was told it would be easier to get an invite to the Royal wedding than to have 10minutes with Sade, now that is how low-key this lady is!

“She still around is she?” someone said, when I said she was coming to the Arena. No Gaga-style gimmicks to keep the hype train going for Sade.

This modern day soul legend made her name when Madonna was still ascending to pop’s throne, with songs as redolent of Rolexes and Filofaxes as they were of bedsits and lonely streets, this is in the 80′s when I was still rolling around in nappies. She then withdrew to the countryside, leaving a 10-year gap between her ‘comeback’ album Lover’s Rock, which has to be probably some of her greatest work and her latest relaease, Soldier Of Love.

This soul singer  last toured in 2001 – which seems to be doing the 50m selling artist good, this gig was sold out and she was playing an arena and not many artists from the 80′s are able to do that in 2011. Her evocative voice, as powerful as it is unique, rises like blue smoke above an audience that welcomes her with thunderous applause.

She needed to get warmed up first, opening the show with Soldier Of Love. Afterwards, a broad smile wreathing her feline features, she said: “It’s been too long, and we have only a short time to make up for all the time we’ve wasted.” For me that was it, I was hooked, her soft voice was mesmerising and she had me and the 10,000 plus others in the arena in the palm of her hands, many of whom have been hooked ever since they first heard a Sade record.

As the set continued with Skin and Love Is Found, the fans were reminded that Sade is not just its eponymous singer, but a great band that effortlessly blends R&B, jazz, reggae, rock and Latin flavours.

A noirish voiceover and video backdrop of moody, neon-lit cityscapes hailed the signature Smooth Operator, with its easy swinging rhythms and sax lines. This marked the point when a good performance became a brilliant one.

Sade’s voice, undimmed by time, soared as she performed Jezebel, the perfect piece for her elegant, aching singing style. In black and white, in the big screen above the stage, she referenced Billie Holiday in a white blouse, working perfectly in tandem with a bluesy, moaning sax. Is It A Crime, which kept building up then returning to a torchy refrain, was another star performance.

The slender singer has a unique ability to paint pictures with her voice, and although at times the giant video backdrops threatened to dwarf her, they complemented the mood; a stark landscape of bare trees, and the summery snaps that accompanied After All Is Said Done, reflecting the mood.

No Ordinary Love, King Of Sorrow and Pearls also sparkled. Cherish The Day, with its trip-hop pulse, ended a masterclass in making up for lost time, when leaving the arena I looked around and people were walking with a big smile on their face, like they had been privilege to something unique and probably, most likely will never see Sade on UK shores again.

I would highly recommend the new release and also the ultimate collection cd, it has been on constant rewind in my car since Friday. Ms. Sade…. Thank you!

Many thanks to Rob @Sony and Ben @Marshall-Arts

Last week, I was invited with a friend to attend a Labour Party event. I didnt know what to expect and before I attended  I was told that it would be an experience. It sure was! Ed Milliband was in Leeds to talk to Labour Party supporters as to why he should be the new leader. His views were very out there and I am not sure if I completely agreed with everything he had to offer that evening.

His brother (David) is currently favourite to win the race for the leadership.