Petula Clark

Norwood Town Hall, 17 May 2019

We just had to catch one of the earliest British pop divas and it was well worth it. Especially as Petula (aged about 13) had had a small but key role in the classic film I Know Where I’m Going!

“Downtown,” “Don’t Sleep in the Subway,” (see below) “A Sign of the Times,” and “I Know a Place” and several other worthy tunes had the crowd swaying and (annoyingly in some cases) humming along.

TVC calculated that we might have been among the younger fans in the crowd, but it looked like a full house, so we can’t be sure. A very accomplished backing band helped make this a very pleasant evening indeed. Petula was funny and fresh, and the voice, while a little harsher in the upper register these days, still clear and strong. At 86, it’s a wonder Clark was standing at the end – but everyone else was.