Live Review: Regina Spektor & Only Son

Opening for his wife, Only Son, aka Jack Disher, is undoubtedly talented but disappointing as he played acoustic guitar over backing tracks of his own songs. The phantom drums, bass and electric guitar would obviously have sounded much more convincing live on stage rather than out of an iPad. In fact the highlight of his set was when he simply performed as he stood, one man with a guitar, and a bonus soundtrack of crickets. Drinking whiskey from a mug, his quirky banter saved him.

With a nervous smile, Regina Spektor walked on stage and picked up a microphone from the ground. Tapping the mic for percussion she opened with an a cappella folky number that demanded an instant hush from the awed crowd. Barely speaking a word, she seated herself at a grand piano and plunged straight into favourites The Calculation and On The Radio, pushing the tempo as the band kicked into life.

Her voice showed not a hint of nerves as it soared around the caverns of the old theatre, cascading and roaring then hushed all in the same breath. Ode To Divorce was beautiful with the cello's earthy peddle notes accompanying. All The Rowboats raced with dark urgency and Spektor made all the explosion sounds herself. The ice broke about six songs in as she shared, “I think I just ate a piece of piano,” which saw her and the audience relax with a giggle.

Disher joined her on-stage for a cute co-written duet, Call Them Brothers. Their voices blended together nicely and it felt raw and intimate to see them perform humbly side by side. Spektor's voice was even more stunning in her mother tongue, as she performed, solo, a Russian number, The Prayer. More of her personality was glimpsed in Dance Anthem To The '80s and The Party, which closed her set.

A natural storyteller, each tale was masterfully told through her slippery caress of the piano keys and creative use of her voice. Although the set was largely taken from her latest album, What We Could See From The Cheap Seats, it was her old favourites in the encore that were truly the highlight of the night. Us and Fidelity had more than a few voices singing along, but it was Samson that stole the show – Spektor alone, with the piano, was the most beautiful and moving moment of the night.