Resplendent in a floral dress, Cara takes the stage of the sold-out High Barn for this highly anticipated show where tonight she debuts her new band and much of the new material she has been writing over the past year.

Starting the set with two solo songs, she then introduces the first of the new band, cello player Nick, for the delicately beautiful 'Six Years', from her debut album 'Butterfly'. The full band are then brought on stage along with guest backing singer Joanna Eden for 'All I Love'.

Leaving the comfort zone of her piano behind, Cara tentatively steps up to the microphone to take centre stage for 'Deal as a Man' and shows off that dress in full to rapturous applause from the audience. She takes the transformation from solo performer to front-woman in her stride and looks increasingly confident in front of the capacity crowd.

Her strongest and most definate track yet, 'Roll Up, Roll Up' featuring Joanna Eden and Dean Austin on backing vocals and a wonderful looped harmony, proves that Cara has the skills to write material of the calibre that will take her far. Equally dark and brooding but with an almost playful skippy piano line and infectious melody that undulates cleverly to illustrate the lyric. Cara finishes the song with a burst of accordian that completes it perfectly.

'Take it in turns' is a live favourite and warmly recieved this evening, before the short but perfectly formed 'All she said', about Cara's equally short but seemingly traumatic period at university. We can only assume that the demon she's trying to exorcise here is too painful to complete the piece, but she should as the song is beautiful and worthy of any of her famous contempories.

Cara's use of live effects, the live band and her array of instruments she utilises this evening have transformed her live show into a visual and aural delight. She has a wonderful talent and I'm certain it won't be too long before she's attracting a wider audience as she deserves to be hugely sucessful. An enchanting evening.

Simon Baker, Music-zine (www.music-zine.com)