Showing @ The Brunton, Musselburgh, Sun 09 Feb only @ 19:30

After having fulfilled an admirable fifty-year stint in the music business and a number one with Sir Elton all the way back in the seventies, Kiki Dee still manages to take to the stage as if she were nineteen again. Accompanied by guitarist and producer Carmelo Luggeri, she is as brash as ever in skinny jeans with that iconic red bob.

Following the recent launch of their new album A Place Where I Can Go, Kiki and Carmelo put a unique stamp on their sound – a sort of tranquil Indian themed acoustic folk, which excels not just in their newer compositions but into various covers and revamps of old classics. A particular audience favourite is the stripped back, raw and honest version of Don’t Go Breaking My Heart, something not many thought she’d embark upon tonight.

The first half of the show is very fluid, changing between different styles and eras. However the second half takes a turn for the tiresome; Carmelo playing gentle guitar riffs whilst Kiki holds down elongated UFO noises on the keys. Something which works, but after too long bears likeness to a massage therapy playlist.

Thankfully things pick up again, and Kiki makes sure to end with fireworks. The encore, a rocked-up version of How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You) rouses the formerly yawning audience into vigorous claps and sing-a-longs. A revival of the well-known classic rock Kiki, of whom the devout onlookers seem to appreciate the most.

Kiki and Carmelo exhibit an interesting array of old a new, which accompanied by enviable amounts of name-dropping, make the fifty year milestone celebration seem all that more genuine. However, if it weren’t for the redemption of the upbeat Kiki at the end, the show could have ended on a lull.