Annie Lennox and friends review – a euphoric celebration of female solidarity
When the suffragette Emmeline Pankhurst stood up at the Albert Hall in 1912 and declared, 'I incite this meeting to rebellion', she probably didn't imagine her name would be hailed on the same stage by feminist performers more than a century later.
Pankhurst was later banned from the hall but her rebellious spirit persists. Tonight's gathering, two days before International Women's Day, is a fundraiser for the Circle, a global feminist organisation co-founded by Annie Lennox which fights for the rights of women and girls facing violence and injustice across the world. For this seamlessly staged three-hour show, Lennox has gathered like-minded performers who include poets, activists and musicians plus ringmaster Clara Amfo, who notes that where Pankhurst was campaigning for equality for some women, the Circle wants to make life better for all.
Lennox, who hasn't performed live since 2019, is the main event. But she is preceded by Irish singer and flautist Ríoghnach Connolly, an atmospheric purveyor of what she calls 'really miserable songs done with enthusiasm'; poet and spoken word performer Rakaya Fetuga; and a visibly nervous Celeste, who channels the spirit of Billie Holiday with Strange and Only Time Will Tell. Elsewhere, Tyneside's Nadine Shah notes her fortune as a Muslim woman who is free to let rip on stage, before delivering an electrifying version of Nirvana's All Apologies. And Beverley Knight brings the Radio 2 vibes with a suitably volcanic Shoulda Woulda Coulda, even if her attempt to generate a mass singalong falls flat.
When Lennox, now 70, arrives in a glittering tuxedo, it is to an instant standing ovation. The long gaps between shows point to the former Eurythmics singer's career shift: after a storied music career, philanthropy and activism now fill her days. But her rare charisma and the thrill of live performance are evident as she delivers a string of mega-hits: Little Bird, Broken Glass, Love Is a Stranger, Why and Missionary Man.
On There Must Be an Angel (Playing with My Heart), she duets with her daughter Lola Lennox who, while not quite a match for her mother, tackles the swooping melody with aplomb. For the finale, more friends of Lennox's arrive in the shape of Paloma Faith and Hozier, and all the invited guests cram on to the stage for a raucous and triumphant group rendition of the aptly titled anthem Sisters Are Doin' It for Themselves. It's a fittingly raucous finale to an evening of solidarity and infectious euphoria. The world is burning, but so are the passions of those determined to make it better.
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