It’s got to be-e-e-e-e-e-e perfect...and it was

Eddi Reader, Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry, 25 April 2025.

Review by Margaret Mather

Eddie Reader can still hit all the notes of the song, Perfect, which first aired in the 80s when she was lead vocalist with Fairground Attraction. Her voice is as pure today as it was then. She could sing a shopping list and make it sound ethereal.

Eddie is not only a great singer; she is also a natural comedienne. She had the audience in the palm of her hand as she asked them to sing intricate Scottish choruses, which took some getting used to - and I’m Scottish. She flitted from serious songs to Glasgow humour with ease. Her command of the stage was a thing to behold. I almost felt that I knew her personally by the time the concert finished. She has a knack of drawing you in to her world. She can sing the most haunting songs that touch you in a way no others can. The next minute, she has you roaring with laughter. The band, including her husband John Douglas, were superb. There was a mixture of guitars, accordion, ukulele and squeezebox, all played to perfection.

Eddi’s supporting act was singer/songwriter, MG Boulter. He played guitar and sang all of his own songs. He reminded me of a young Ralph McTell. If you’ve never been to an Eddi Reader gig, put it on your bucket list for an uplifting, joyous night out.

The Warwick Arts Centre is an excellent venue for this sort of concert. Instead of looking at a person on a huge screen that you’ve paid lots of money for, you can sit in an intimate atmosphere and feel part of the show.

Eddi is on tour all of 2025, you can find out more on her website, www.eddireader.co.uk

If you want to know more about MG Boulter you can find him at www.mgboulter.co.uk

And for information on forthcoming concerts at Warwick Arts Centre, go to: https://www.warwickartscentre.co.uk/