It was meant to be a most intimate gig and that it certainly was, perhaps more intimate in some instances than some might have imagined.

Then again, it’s no secret that singer-songwriter Claire Tonna bares her soul whenever she performs onstage. Moreover, on the night in question – a one-off gig at the British Legion, Valletta, in which she presented her songs with a full band in tow – the shared intimacies were reinforced by the presence and in-depth narration of New Zealander Maria Mar, who wrote the lyrics to some of the songs on Tonna’s 2013 The Port album.

Mar’s sharing of such personal details reflect the very essence of Tonna’s recorded work, and it is evident that a strong bond exists between the two, perhaps more so since Tonna spent much of last year closer to Mar in New Zealand, performing, writing and soul-searching.

In her own inimitable way, Tonna has always succeeded in connecting to her audiences by simply being herself, and this concert was no different.

Further to her explanatory introductions, songs like Age of No Age, Your Mother Said and Metanoia clearly projected the essential elements that inspire Tonna’s life and the way she lives, faces and embraces it.

Hers is an ongoing voyage of self-discovery on many levels. One can’t but admire how, despite experiencing certain hardships during her travels, this charismatic artist still manages to always have a glowing smile on her face.

Though relying largely on tracks from The Port, this concert also featured new track Every Step is a Kiss – woven from the same cloth of personal experience that informed her debut album – as well as a selection of covers delivered with that particular self-styled touch Tonna so loves to apply in her interpretations.

Though eclectic in her choice of covers, among them songs from Anthony and the Johnsons, Devendra Banhart, KD Lang, Bronski Beat, Suzanne Vega, Gala and Yazoo, Tonna still found ways to connect each of them to the message rooted in her own original compositions.

It was a rare but welcome occasion to watch Tonna perform with a full band. Each member was instrumental in giving the songs a different, fresh and fuller take to the comparatively stripped-down acoustic renderings she usually performs at her solo gigs, but Spanish cellist Jose Goruchapa in particular added some extra flavour to the songs.

Incredibly, despite the bigger audience, a fuller sound and the varying energy levels of the set, the intimacy that was so important to the whole concept behind this gig remained pretty much intact. Result: a wonderful evening of heartfelt, genuine music. Hopefully, it won’t be a one-off event.

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