30 Jul 2026
James Cameron is at The Maltings Arts Theatre for a chilled evening of music…
Most gigs I go to these days follow the same basic template. Being rammed into a hot and loud venue so men who first found their success in the ‘90s could play songs at me. Saturday night at The Maltings was different. It was a lovely oasis of calm after the heat of the day. Best of all, there were seats and air-conditioning.
The music on offer was similarly mellow. To start with we had Poppy Worlidge playing some very heartfelt folk. It was all very simple, a couple of people with a couple of guitars, but it created a lovely space for your mind to drift in.
Lyrics were clear and powerful, and chord progressions were pleasing. There was a definite nautical theme to some of the songs, and on such a hot day it’s nice to think about the sea.
The stand-out song for me was ‘Counting’, which was not one of those awful YouTube songs we used to make our children watch about how many cheeseburgers there were. Instead it was about the multiplicity of the world, and this was reflected in some charming interplay between the two guitars.
Halfway through the set there was a break from the songs so Worlidge could tell a story about portals of calm. Going from music to spoken word was interesting but possibly a bit too much of a switch, and a guitar backing to the story could have made the transition a bit smoother.
You know what you getting with folk singer-songwriters, there is not suddenly going to be a funky bass drop in the middle of a song, and you have to be in the right mood. I was very much there for it, and enjoyed my gentle stroll through Poppy’s world.
I was expecting more singer-songwriter guitar action in the second half, so was pleasantly surprised on our return from the interval to find a full band awaiting us. There was a guitar, of course, but also a violin, keyboard and cajon (basically a small drum you can sit on). It’s always nice to have percussion, and the larger band allowed a much greater variety of sound.
Angeline started with her first single, ‘I Met You in June’, a lovely piece of soulful pop that was very jolly and summery. It was an enthusiastic crowd at The Maltings, and they were very much there for Angeline. She in turn responded with obvious and genuine emotion, and she very much filled the role of the front woman. Both during and between songs, her personality came through strongly.
As well as a strong personality, she has a powerful voice, which was well showcased in ‘If I Do Nothing’. Although powerful, I do wonder if backing vocals would strengthen the songs even further and give a greater variety of sound.
Angeline’s personality and voice combined to deliver fantastic storytelling, appropriate enough for the theatre setting, in the song ‘Glass Half Full’. The emotional intensity of youth came through strongly, and whilst I would find it exhausting these days to always be at that level it was fantastic to revisit the time when feelings would come through so strongly.
Whilst most of the songs were the work of Angeline and her band, there were a couple of covers peppered in. There was a lovely performance of ‘Hallelujah’ by Leonard Cohen, but this is quite a well-travelled path and I would have loved to hear her interpretation of some of his less well-known songs.
‘Thank You for the Music’ by Abba was a more interesting choice, and was lively and a lot of fun.
Angelline was keen to know all the audience member’s favourite song of the night, so I would have to say mine was ‘Rebecca’, a song about her great-great-great-great-grandmother. This was clearly a very personal one for Angeline, and showed a very mature vocal style which reminded me of Tori Amos.
Angeline has previously worked for OVO, which might explain the venue, and some of the songs owed a debt to her time and work in St Albans. ‘Ghosts of the Heart’ was inspired by OVO’s fan-favourite production of A Christmas Carol, and featured Angeline’s cousin on the Persian Tar which gave a melancholy tinge and fitted the theme well.
‘Making Friends with Graves’ arose from her strolls through the graveyards of St Albans, and featured a call and response between the band and the audience, but also between Angeline and the inhabitants of the graves.
The past is a constant presence, and constantly brought to life, in these songs. The tune itself was country-themed, showcasing again the range of the band, and I particularly enjoyed the percussionist’s bell-shoe.
At the end was ‘A Sailor’s Song’ which returned to the folk and the sea of the support act, before the band closed proceedings with a final impromptu cover of ‘Halo’ by Beyonce, which really showcased the band’s ability and was utterly joyous.
Though there were a few technical issues (at one point the microphone cable dropped out) the band all coped with it admirably, and the musical talent and cohesion on display was impressive. It is great to see a group of young musicians playing together so expertly, and Angeline is lucky to be backed by such an able bunch.
But she more than holds her own with them, creating a mix of vulnerability and presence that is outsized to the relatively small space. I feel very lucky to have caught her before her inevitable rise to playing the much larger venues that she is more than ready for.
