Zero 7 at the Dome

Sunday night found me at the Dome looking after the guest list for Zero 7, but I managed to get in to watch most of their performance once that had been taken care of. As a live act the core duo of Henry Binns and Sam Hardaker were bolstered by four other musicians, plus guest vocalists Sia and Jose Gonzalez who both sang on current album The Garden. I haven't heard the latest album yet but these new songs certainly sounded a little more rocky and uptempo than their previous work, and the contrast in vocal styles worked well. Earlier tracks were less in evidence, perhaps in part due to the different vocalists (Sophie Barker, Tina Dico and Morez) employed, which was a bit of a shame. Still, Sia - who's contributed on all three albums - was at least able to perform Destiny and Distractions from Simple Things which pleased the audience, and encored with Feels Like Home from When It Falls. It's just a shame she opted to try a spot of African dancing rather than taking the crowd's suggestion to "do the Crouch"!