Anna Coddington

Independent pop musician Anna Coddington served up a Sunday brunch of songs new and old at the Crystal Palace, those from her album The Lake, some new material and a great cover version of Burt Bacharach’s ‘Walk on By.’
From ‘Sentences,’ her opening ‘love song to music’ through to the belt-it-out ‘T-shirt’ finale, Coddington used subtle variations of tempo and mood to keep an appreciative audience well interested in the varied menu. Hard driving rhythms of songs like ‘Never change’ provided great contrast to the sweeter Boh Runga sounding numbers like ‘Low Tide’. New material mingled well with the more familiar “Useless’ written when she played with Duchess.
Coddington switched easily between electric and acoustic guitar, threw in some early harmonica and was well backed by Ned with mostly rhythm guitar but also some sweet harmonizing. She did sing two songs by herself, one newie called ‘Get Involved’ and a quieter Fly My Pretties number from the album “the Long Way Home.’
Despite suffering from a heavy cold, Coddington threw herself into the music and provided great value for an audience ranging from kids to grandparents.
For my money, the high energy of the show-ending “T-shirt’, about going to a party and feeling awkward, with its quirky ending was the stand out. For those with a thirst for more check out her website at www.annacoddington.com