AN evening with Paloma Faith would have been an apt title for this tour.

Such were the length of her monologues between the songs, the audience could have been forgiven for wondering if the music was meant to be the interlude to her discourse.

The quirky 36-year-old had from the outset justified the amount of time she would devote to introducing songs, saying those attending might otherwise be listening to her songs in their kitchens.

She certainly had a point, and was clearly reacting to some artists who simply reproduce their studio efforts on stage.

After humorously relating the horrors of her recent 19-hour labour and the challenges of becoming a mother - which she says had been both the best and worst experience of her life - she launched into My Body. “I gained three stone while pregnant. I lost some, but I kept some as a souvenir,” she joked.

A pot pourri of pop, soul, funk and jazz songs, peppered with passion and delivered beautifully through her unique multi-tone voice with a huge register, tumbled over each other during the set, which approached two hours.

No costume changes, but theatrical the show was, with Faith including a smattering of dance routines. An absolute focus on the songs and the chat. It was all about Paloma. Nevertheless, she came over as a sensitive soul, rather than a prima donna.

And her backdrop - an unexplained iceberg-style stage which almost had a Spinal Tap quality to it - saw the superb backing band perched on its edges. Fortunately, no one fell off.

Pure entertainment.