Joanne Shaw Taylor Queen's Hall Edinburgh 25th January 2026 Review
Joanne Shaw Taylor photograph by Icon Photography
Joanne Shaw Taylor was at the Queen’s Hall Edinburgh tonight, the opening show in her current 2026 tour schedule which takes in UK, Europe and USA dates (there were two November 2025 USA dates too).
The last time that Joanne Shaw Taylor performed at this venue was December 2022, and since that time she has been very busy with, amongst other things, the release of two studio albums "Heavy Soul" (2024) and "Black & Gold (2025), and numerous singles too.
As she stepped out onto the stage tonight, full of energy and with a big smile on her face, it was obvious that Joanne and her band were here not only to play music, but to have a lot of fun doing that along the course of this evening too. That enthusiasm was contagious to everyone in this room too, and from the first few words and opening bars of music from Joanne and her band, this audience were on her side. This was obviously the Joanne Shaw Taylor that everyone here had come not only on a cold January night out to see and hear, but also it was Burns Night too.
As you would expect, some of tonight's set-list came from the last two albums, including "Hell of a Good Time" and "Look What I've Become" from "Black & Gold". Both songs are very different, but both in their own way demonstrate why Joanne Shaw Taylor has earned herself a reputation as one of the leading lights and talents amongst contemporary British-born Blues performers (well Blues performers from anywhere to be honest). "Hell of a Good Time" is a classic old style blues/rock floor filler whilst "Look What I've Become" showcases not only Joanne's outstanding guitar skills, but also what a classic blues/soul/R&B voice she has too.
Amongst the songs from "Heavy Soul” were the equally impressive "Sweet 'Lil Lies" and "Black Magic", both, like the above songs, well-received by this audience tonight. There were of course some older crowd-pleasing songs here in this set list, including a cover of The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ "Two Time My Lovin". Two of my favourite songs from this evening though were "Wild is The Wind" and "Dyin' To Know". "Wild is the Wind" is a song that I always associate with David Bowie, but it was originally written for the 1956 film of the same name and first recorded by Johnny Mathis. Since then, many other artists have recorded this song, and Joanne Shaw Taylor's interpretation of this classic is, for me, amongst the best of them.
Joanne Shaw Taylor and the band were obviously here to put on a show and entertain this audience tonight, and this goal was without any doubt accomplished in full.
Also, released a few days ago (Friday 23 Jan), by Journeyman Records, was the new single from Joanne Shaw Taylor entitled “Hell or High Water.” Written by Joanne and produced by Kevin Shirley (Orianthi, Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa), it’s the first single taken from Joanne’s forthcoming studio album released later this year. The single is available on all streaming platforms.
Opening for Joanne Shaw Taylor (for the third time) was British-born blues artist, and winner of the "Traditional Blues Artist of the Year" 2025 award, Connor Selby. A lot of this 30 minute set list came from Connor's new 2025 album "The Truth Comes Out Eventually", including the album title track and "All out of Luck", "I Won't Be Hard To Find" and "Songbird".
This was a very laid-back set from Connor that was full of songs of emotional pain and anguish that you hope are not a real reflection of the life of such a young performer, but this was the blues. Despite clearly working in a "classic blues" style format though, there is something a little bit different about Connor Selby as a songwriter/performer as he is obviously comfortable moving his music into other genres.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
The last time that Joanne Shaw Taylor performed at this venue was December 2022, and since that time she has been very busy with, amongst other things, the release of two studio albums "Heavy Soul" (2024) and "Black & Gold (2025), and numerous singles too.
As she stepped out onto the stage tonight, full of energy and with a big smile on her face, it was obvious that Joanne and her band were here not only to play music, but to have a lot of fun doing that along the course of this evening too. That enthusiasm was contagious to everyone in this room too, and from the first few words and opening bars of music from Joanne and her band, this audience were on her side. This was obviously the Joanne Shaw Taylor that everyone here had come not only on a cold January night out to see and hear, but also it was Burns Night too.
As you would expect, some of tonight's set-list came from the last two albums, including "Hell of a Good Time" and "Look What I've Become" from "Black & Gold". Both songs are very different, but both in their own way demonstrate why Joanne Shaw Taylor has earned herself a reputation as one of the leading lights and talents amongst contemporary British-born Blues performers (well Blues performers from anywhere to be honest). "Hell of a Good Time" is a classic old style blues/rock floor filler whilst "Look What I've Become" showcases not only Joanne's outstanding guitar skills, but also what a classic blues/soul/R&B voice she has too.
Amongst the songs from "Heavy Soul” were the equally impressive "Sweet 'Lil Lies" and "Black Magic", both, like the above songs, well-received by this audience tonight. There were of course some older crowd-pleasing songs here in this set list, including a cover of The Fabulous Thunderbirds’ "Two Time My Lovin". Two of my favourite songs from this evening though were "Wild is The Wind" and "Dyin' To Know". "Wild is the Wind" is a song that I always associate with David Bowie, but it was originally written for the 1956 film of the same name and first recorded by Johnny Mathis. Since then, many other artists have recorded this song, and Joanne Shaw Taylor's interpretation of this classic is, for me, amongst the best of them.
Joanne Shaw Taylor and the band were obviously here to put on a show and entertain this audience tonight, and this goal was without any doubt accomplished in full.
Also, released a few days ago (Friday 23 Jan), by Journeyman Records, was the new single from Joanne Shaw Taylor entitled “Hell or High Water.” Written by Joanne and produced by Kevin Shirley (Orianthi, Beth Hart, Joe Bonamassa), it’s the first single taken from Joanne’s forthcoming studio album released later this year. The single is available on all streaming platforms.
Opening for Joanne Shaw Taylor (for the third time) was British-born blues artist, and winner of the "Traditional Blues Artist of the Year" 2025 award, Connor Selby. A lot of this 30 minute set list came from Connor's new 2025 album "The Truth Comes Out Eventually", including the album title track and "All out of Luck", "I Won't Be Hard To Find" and "Songbird".
This was a very laid-back set from Connor that was full of songs of emotional pain and anguish that you hope are not a real reflection of the life of such a young performer, but this was the blues. Despite clearly working in a "classic blues" style format though, there is something a little bit different about Connor Selby as a songwriter/performer as he is obviously comfortable moving his music into other genres.
Review by Tom King (c) 2026
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com