One of the joys for me of listening to music live is its raw, unpolished quality.
And if the singer happens to have hay fever and is gigging in a forest their sniffs end up becoming part of the performance too.
X-Factor star, Liverpudlian lass Rebecca Ferguson, clearly seemed to be soldiering on through her concert at Thetford Forest on Thursday.
But even though she evidently wasn’t feeling too great, I was still able to appreciate the lovely tone of her voice - which has earned her so many fans - through the live experience.
She sang hits from her first album Heaven - including Too Good to Lose and Teach Me How to Be Loved - as well as a selection from her second album Freedom and also performed a few covers, including Prince’s ‘Raspberry Beret,’ Katy Perry’s ‘Roar’ and Tom Odell’s ‘Another Love’.
Rebecca is truly stunning in person - with a voice to match - but her own performance lacked energy - because of the hay fever? - in complete contrast with her two backing singers who managed to own the stage.
Her support act singer-songwriter Phillipa Hanna, who is currently unsigned, also had fantastic stage presence.
Considering the concert coincided with the start of the World Cup there was a respectable turnout, but, for me, the gig still managed to retain an intimate feel.
I shared a lovely moment with my husband when Rebecca sang ‘Nothing’s Real but Love’ - which we played during our wedding ceremony in 2012 - and a couple even got engaged during the performance.
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