LIVE REVIEW: Amelia Coburn, Robyn Errico @ St Mary’s Cathedral, Middlesbrough (12.12.25)

Image by Steve Spithray

The last time I walked home from a gig was Radio 1 Big Weekend at nearby Stewart Park in 2019. While St Mary’s Cathedral in the quiet Coulby Newham suburb of Middlesbrough might not be on quite the same scale, the notion that music can connect with local communities away from the usual city centre venues remains the same. So, it was nice to see some familiar faces in the ostentatious setting of the cathedral but also heartening to see plenty of local residents in attendance too. For those unfamiliar with the venue, it is a fan-shaped 1980s build with a natural amplification meaning this is a place for studious musical observance.

Warming things up on the night is Robyn Errico with her gently self-deprecating take on the singer-songwriter-pianoplayer sub-genre. Highlight of her short set, Catastrophic Prophet, may well remain, in her words, “unreleased forever” which is a shame because it’s soaring (slightly raunchy, like a Jack Vettriano painting) vocal melody is an instant earworm, while another about Anne Boleyn really highlights Robyn’s versatility as a songwriter and a performer.

Headliner and local treasure Amelia Coburn, meanwhile, arrives on stage launching straight into fan favourite When The Tide Rolls In followed by a very risqué Tinder joke with the punchline “fuck ‘em, but not literally,” much to the consternation of a couple of the more conservative members of the congregation in the pew in front of me. Not to worry though, Nodding Dog quickly defused the early f-bomb while Le Fabuleux Destin De Sandra was another highlight in the first half of her set. What impresses most now is how Amelia is able to bend and blend styles within the traditional music genre group, both seamlessly and effortlessly (perhaps something she has honed with her producer Bill Ryder-Jones who is a scholar of the same), meaning seemingly random and juxtaposed musical excursions into folk horror, on This Body Is Yours To Keep, and a cover of Walking In The Air, still sound like Amelia Coburn without rooting her in any specific musical furrow, albeit a set of furrows still sympathetic to the ukulele!

Then, with the Christmas trees on the cathedral stage still twinkling and the stage candles still flickering, there is just time for a quick dedication to her granddad before Dublin Serenade then Oh Captain! Guide Me Home and Perfect Storm round things off. As I walked home, with the pavement beginning to frost, I realised a seasonal glow was suddenly upon me. Thank you Amelia for such a lovely evening.