THE AMY WINEHOUSE BAND; Royal Concert Hall, Nottingham; 27/11/25

Legacy is a word that's mentioned a lot in music. It can be a loaded word. Every artist, every band, every musician, wants to be remembered. But how do you measure legacy? Legacy becomes the product of influence and impact. Across the music scene, across all genres, the legacy of artists shines through in the influence they have on the generations that come later, and through the music of those they inspire to follow in their footsteps. How then, do you honour the legacy of an artist who burned bright for too short a time? It's a question that no doubt a few people were considering in the run-up to the start of this performance. The original backing band of the late, great, and much missed Amy Winehouse have taken her back catalogue and run with it, recruiting a hand-picked vocalist to perform the songs, in hopes of not just honouring her memory but of keeping the songs alive and, one would hope, introduce them to a new generation. 

The venue for this endeavour is one that you would certainly imagine Amy herself would feel at home in. Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall, a 2200 capacity, fully seated, modern venue, adjacent to, and connected with, the Victorian Theatre Royal next door. This would be a celebration of Amy Winehouse's life, as much as it would be a retrospective of her career, played out in one of the most intimate venues that Nottingham has to offer. To up the ante, the band have recruited a full orchestra to fully bring the heartfelt and earnest songs to life. On paper, it looks set to be quite the experience. Such is the impact of Amy Winehouse on soul, jazz, funk, reggae and R&B, the audience is pleasingly diverse and we all settle into our seats in preparation of what is to come. The anticipation is heightened by a delay in the start time due to one of the performers running late, likely due to midweek football traffic. Soon though, the lights dim and the performers enter the stage in turn, orchestra first, before THE AMY WINEHOUSE BAND arrive, taking up their respective positions, and we await the arrival of the leading lady.

Singer Bronte Shande enters from stage right, dressed in a way that emulates Amy's inimitable style. Any nerves from the audience about what to expect soon evaporate. The opening notes of Tears Dry on Their Own kick in, and everyone is transfixed. It becomes clear, even early in the set, that the band have picked well with their choice of frontwoman. Rest assured, this is no attempt to replace Amy Winehouse. It's merely a vehicle to allow her songs to continue and her memory to thrive. The show takes the form of two 45 minute sets, with an interval, both focusing on the two studio albums, Frank and Back to Black, the latter turning 20 a few days after this show, that Amy released in her lifetime. Throughout, the emotional weight and heft that these songs still carry can be felt. Stronger than Me feels spiky and faintly menacing. You Know I'm No Good is a sultry 'I told you so'. October Song and Moody's Mood for Love, encapsulate the deep mood of heartbreak that permeates a lot of Amy's songs, so much so that you almost forget that the latter is a cover. 

Amongst the emotion of the songs themselves, the pressure to get them right feels huge. The weight of her role gets to Bronte at one point and, visibly emotional, she asks to start a song over and tearfully apologises to a sympathetic audience who, very moved by the outpouring of feeling, cheer her to the restart. It's easy to understand the difficulty of the task at hand. It's one thing singing the songs of one of the best and most influential songwriters of a generation but to do so live, backed by the very band of the singer in question, is something else entirely. For their part, the band are predictably excellent. They're clearly still enjoying bringing these songs to life, however painful and nostalgic it may be to do so. During an extended outro to the first set, we're introduced to each of the band in turn, with everybody getting their own solo. The horn section of Dave Temple, Frank Walden and Ben Edwards are locked in and clearly enjoying themselves. Their driving jazz rhythms add a propulsive backbone to the lyrics. On guitar and bass respectively, Hawi Gondwe and Dale Davis (who also acts as musical director), ooze effortless cool. Drummer Nathan Allen is the heartbeat of the rhythm section, his tight, well-drilled jazz drumming wrapping everything together. There's a touching moment where we're informed that he's just celebrated his 40th birthday, having been too young to even drink when he first joined the band. In short, this encapsulates the friendship and camaraderie of a group of musicians who have not only been doing this for a long time, but have weathered a considerable amount of heartbreak themselves. The star presence amongst the ensemble cast is backing singer Ade Omotayo. He's animated and amiable from the start. His impressive range perfectly balances against Bronte Shande's higher notes. He even takes the lead on a couple of songs, including a beautiful version of Amy's cover of Cupid, originally by Sam Cooke. Having the band backed by an orchestra only enhances the depth and diversity of the experience. Strings swell to accompany sax and trumpet. There are moments where you can hear a pin drop, particularly during the vocal pause at the close of Back to Black. There's even time to showcase the artists that Amy herself held dear. The extended instrumental that ends the opening set segues unexpectedly into the hook from Lauryn Hill's classic Doo Wop (That Thang). 

The real shining light, however, is Bronte Shande herself. Covering Amy Winehouse is no easy feat. Bronte shows that she is so much more than that. She embodies these songs and conveys the emotions in a way that only Amy herself would be able to. There are points where, if you closed your eyes and you didn't know better, you would swear that it was Amy up there, making the stage her own and unleashing her innermost demons. Bronte nails every note. The pain-inflected numbers, such as Love is a Losing Game become even more sorrowful. The antsier, more urgent songs such as Rehab are packed with trademark attitude and character. Make no mistake, these are not just songs about love and loss. They are fully-forged, tear-stained testimonies of heartache, rejection and struggle. For the more casual fans in the audience, the second set features more of the tried and tested bangers but that doesn't make their continued impact any less real. The band allow the audience onto their feet for the final few numbers, including a raucous, closing Valerie, (AKA, the song The Zutons wrote that means they'll never have to work again). A fantastic evening draws to a close with Dale Davis addressing the audience and clarifying the importance of ensuring that these songs continue to be performed. A hugely appreciative audience, barring one idiot (and there is always one idiot), hang on his every word. This isn't just a night for the fans. This is a night for Amy. Her tragically short life, with all its troubles, birthed something wonderful that will never be forgotten and can never be taken away. If Amy's legacy (that word again) could be summed up, it would be in nights like this. People coming together to celebrate a brilliant, troubled, but ultimately, a thoroughly genuine and heartfelt individual. If things had been different, there's no telling what stratospheric heights Amy would have reached. In the meantime, we'll always have these songs. They should be cherished. As far as The Amy Winehouse Band are concerned, they deserve this. 

The Amy Winehouse Band Setlist

Tears Dry on Their Own

October Song

Mr. Magic (Through the Smoke)

Stronger than Me

Moody's Mood for Love (James Moody cover)

Take the Box

Cupid (Sam Cooke cover)

He Can Only Hold Her

Band Introductions

Doo Wop (That Thang) (chorus only) (Lauryn Hill cover)

Love is a Losing Game

Back to Black

You Know I'm No Good

Me & Mr. Jones

Rehab

You're Wondering Now (Andy and Joey cover)

Monkey Man (Toots & The Maytals cover)

Valerie (The Zutons cover)