Review: Barbara Dickson

12-02-26 – Sale Waterside Arts Centre by Jamie Griffiths

There is something very special about seeing Barbara Dickson in a stripped-back setting. At Sale Waterside Arts Centre last night, she appeared with her long-time pianist Nick Holland for a beautifully intimate acoustic set, part of an ongoing run of dates across this year and next.

This was not a greatest hits show in the obvious sense. Instead, Dickson and Holland allowed the songs to breathe. Words and melody took centre stage. The arrangements were elegant, unfussy, and deeply respectful of the material. It felt less like a concert and more like being invited into the heart of her catalogue.

For musical theatre audiences, one highlight arrived quietly. Without introduction, the opening chords of Another Suitcase in Another Hall began to ripple across the room. There was a moment, just a flicker, as the audience recognised what they were hearing. The realisation was almost as thrilling as the song itself. Dickson’s vocal was dramatic yet controlled, uplifting without ever tipping into excess. In that small space, the emotional pull was immense.

Barbara’s pride in Blood Brothers was unmistakable. As the first person ever to sing the role of Mrs Johnstone, she spoke with genuine affection for the show and, in particular, for its writer, Willy Russell. There was reverence there, but also warmth. It is clear that the musical remains a defining chapter in her life. Even decades on, the emotional connection feels immediate and authentic.

There was also a gentle reminder of her time in Spend Spend Spend, with a former star of the show spotted in the audience, a lovely full-circle moment for those who remember that era of her stage career. While she did not perform a number from the show, its presence in the room felt symbolic of the breadth of her theatrical legacy.

The evening moved fluidly between stage and studio. A trio of songs associated with Gerry Rafferty were delivered with quiet reverence, the interpretations measured and respectful. They sat naturally alongside her own classics, revealing just how instinctively Dickson inhabits narrative songwriting.

Her traditional material brought an altogether different energy. MacCrimmon’s Lament was haunting, almost ethereal, the vocal floating with a controlled fragility that held the room spellbound. And when she arrived at Caravan, the audience response was immediate and affectionate. The song landed with warmth and recognition, a reminder of just how embedded her voice is in British musical memory.

Throughout, Dickson projected an artist entirely at ease with her past, yet never trapped by it. There is no overstatement, no theatrical grandstanding. Just musical intelligence, emotional clarity and a lifetime of experience shaping every phrase.

The standing ovation at the close was not automatic, it was earned, and as the applause rang out across Sale Waterside, there was a shared sense that we could happily have stayed for another hour.

Get tickets for 2026/27 shows from the official site HERE