Leeds Conservatoire student Loretta Francis delivered faithful renditions of Buckley’s biggest hits at Hyde Park Book Club on Tuesday.
(Photo: Jonathan Holmes)
Tickets for ‘An Ode To Grace’ sold out in advance and those able to grab tickets were treated to a soulful tribute to one of music’s most enigmatic, popular and tragic figures.
Kicking off the bill with ‘Dream Brother’ (the closer on Grace’s original track listing), Francis crooned through the album’s most beloved moments, building to a singalong climax with ‘Lover, You Should’ve Come Over’ before closing the show with the record’s title track.
Francis, currently in her final year of acting training, also included some bonus numbers from Buckley’s catalogue. These arrived in the form of ‘Everybody Here Wants You’ and ‘Forget Her’, the latter of which was recorded during the Grace sessions but eventually omitted at the American’s request.
Music fan Alex Henderson praised the “passion and vigour” of the performance: “It was amazing to truly engage with the music that defined that place and time. I often feel sad when I hear these seminal albums with no opportunity to see the artist perform them live, so it was great to hear Jeff’s message tonight.”
Jeff Buckley tragically drowned in a slack water channel of the Mississippi River in Memphis, Tennessee whilst in the process of recording Grace’s follow-up, the posthumously released My Sweetheart the Drunk.
Francis reflected on his passing, telling the crowd that they were ‘keeping his spirit alive tonight’. This was not the first instalment in the drama student’s ‘Ode’ series, with Amy Winehouse’s debut album Frank previously honoured. Further shows have been touted, with Loretta telling the crowd to “watch this space” before exiting the Book Club’s stage.