She's been on tour since nineteen hundred and four..or so it seems. And she's back once again. Kicking off her first return to the UK since taking on the world with her accessible 2006 album 'In The Red' with a date at Manchester's luscious Lowry theatre, the hardworking artistic free spirit and Pop Goddess TINA DICO was pushed for time, but gave generously of it prior to her lasest assault on British shores.
Five minutes to ask questions is all we got, and it was furthermore apparent that there was not a chance of Tina straying from her bog-standard second-nature website doctrine. For 'artist', read 'politician-in-the-making'!
As Dico set about adding a 'natural' feel to this regurgitative opportunity, those frequent pauses for thought were a stiff test of my ability to keep a straight face (I'll let her off as her array of musical talents speak volumes, but I also hold my hands up some of the responsibility for, well, nothing new; despite being faced with this 'beat-the-clock' mission impossible of melting such an impenetrable veneer, I have to take my share of the blame for the subsequent lack of insight).
"The new record is my fifth studio album" she told me:
"And it's actually a trilogy of EP's, so it's three journeys of 25 minutes each, which I've recorded over the past year and a half".
I suppose they're a little bit different, the three - the first one is very acoustic, very sparse - pretty much me and an acoustic guitar, the next one is quite dark - quite a bit darker than what I've done before, and then the third one is a little bit more uptempo - bigger arrangements, a little bit more produced".
Has there been time and space to develop your music since the mainstream assault on the globe that has seen you on the road since the release of 'In the Red'? (the release of ITR was Tina's first announcement to the world) - I mean, you've been on tour almost constantly since its' release in 2006.
"I have - I suppose 'In The Red' is my most...glossy release so far - I did this with Chris Potter, the English producer. Before this album, I did a very, ...raw album - before 'In The Red' - and I guess I've gradually gone a little bit back to the more...raw side of me and my music. You know
it's very close to my heart to do things very sparse..."
This was evident during the soundcheck, with the stage set-up looking just about as stripped-down as it's possible to get - there couldn't have been more contrast with the big-band scenario that was a feature of her tour of Denmark that preceded her return to Blighty.
"Yeah, just the three of us....." Tina acknowledges
"The third guy is an Icelandic boy..a multi instrumentalist - Helgi Jonsson. An amazing singer/songwriter, and a classically-trained trombone player - a really fun, and interesting addition to the line-up"
"Yeah" added the PR-conscious artiste:
"We've done a tour of Denmark prior to this with a slightly bigger set up instrument-wise - today we're having to strip down the drums and all, but that's good - I'm looking forward to seeing how it'll go"
And go it did. There was every reason to look on the bright side of life, with tonight's modest audience down to a hardcore of devotees hell-bent on lavishing unconditional love on this international superstar. Even so, being brought to a hush by the plush surroundings of this beautiful all-seater venue, created the instant near-tangible aura of expectation that was needed.
And so this Danish pop maestro did her thing in an atmosphere you could cut with a knife.
Feeding off the tension is one of Dico's many strengths as a performer, and this she pulled off with effortless panache. 'All I Know' shimmered with gentle but powerful reverb as Tina got off to a solid solo start, before introducing her ever-present long-time sidekick and collaborator Dennis Alghren, along with latest recruit Helgi Jonsson.
"This ain't no time to go to sleep" intoned the maestro during a song about staying awake "Not just tonight, but for the rest of our lives". The number saw Alghren (who is a guitarist first and foremost) manning the basic but effective percussion setup with panache - the chiming xylophones a precursor to a flood of emotion to the one-drum/maracas setup bringing up the rear, with Jonsson's Farfisa-style jam adding depth and weight to this impressive delicate-to-the-point-of-fragile tune.
"Borderline Insanity" reighned supreme during a slick and soulful delivery of 'Teeth/Arms/Legs/Eyes', with all voices on deck providing some intricate and evocative 3-part harmonies.
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From one title track to another, there was a denouncement of "In The Red" as a love song, but Dico's superb rendition of it went down as the first sparkling highlight of the evening; a stunning rendition made all the better by Helgi's skill and feel for the trombone. This was followed by 'Heaven & Hell' from the 2nd of the trilogy of EP's that make up her 5th and latest long-player.
And from the 3rd and latest EP, a song about...'Stains' lived and breathed thanks to yet another absorbing delivery. This was an engaging performance of no-regrets love steeped in a less than perfect past, and as such couldn't fail to strike a chord with the audience - not with Dico's undeniable knack of getting and holding the full attention of a crowd. All the more so in a venue where coughing was outlawed and pins could easily have been heard dropping, but even so...this was a professional performance from an artist who clearly knows how to entertain. For all her artistic freedom, Tina's priorities are spot-on; there was no trace of prima-donna star-indulgent behaviour here, just sincerity and I guess also a pretty total belief in the self. Not to mention her ever more impressive vocals - this was a performance from a consummate professional, but also sheer talent at work
Another new song 'Glow' was a hit with Dennis manning the keys and Helgi providing impressive backing vocals.
There was a civillised but welcome 20 minute interval - this is the theatre darling after all - we spent it chain-smoking on a terrace overlooking the Manchester Ship Canal with a view of Old Trafford beyond, before dashing back for the second set.
With Dico now abandoning her trusty Gibson acoustic for a Les Paul semi, the show duly recommenced with one of Jonsson's songs, with the man himself adding delicate harmonies that brought whoops of delight from the now-rapt audience.
There was also the slow-burning strength of 'Break Of Day', and the restless taxi-ride narrative anthem 'Keep Driving', a disjointed lullaby with a distinctively darker undercurrent. Again, the delicacy that co-existed with the power of the trio's delivery wass a joy, with Alghren once again turning his hand effortlessly to the groove via percussion and xylophone trickery.
'Warm Sand' (perhaps Dico's biggest-hitter commercially speaking) was eventually announced to the evening's biggest cheers - she'll have us know that this one had been dusted down and re-rehearsed especially for this reunion with her British fans, but even without any awareness of the effort made on Tina's behalf the response was still all love and appreciation.
From the 'Detour' EP, there was also the TV-inspired dreamscape 'Friend In a Bar', a classic tale of stayer versus goer, with the moral of the tale centred loosely on that old chestnut notion that the 'grass is always greener'. Concoctions like these are unfailing and full of depth - and this one fair resonated with wider recognition and shared experience - bliss, and understanding were beginning to reign supreme as chords began to strike thick and fast beyond the guitar
And then, breathlessly, and quite exhileratingly, the show was over. Time flies when you're having fun, and when it's a double dose of the girl you've come to see rather than a support act on offer, then there was only going to be one reaction.
OK, this was a conscious effort to stay within the bounds of audience expectation - pedestrian, even. Yet there was no denying that Dico's professional approach went down a storm with her UK devotees.
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