On 16 April 2026, legendary ‘90s alternative singer-songwriter Tori Amos emerged on the Newcastle Arena stage in a spangling, pastel dazzle.
By Hannah Brown
Photos by John Hayhurst (taken at Tori Amos’s Sheffield Date)
Lit by a backdrop of ghostly curved wings and fiery magenta floodlights, there is no doubt she was alluding to her new album In Times of Dragons which is set to come out on 1 May.
The North-Carolina-born sirenic Southerner who now lives in Cornwall is currently gracing the North of England with her deep-rooted alluring introspection and precarious piano riffs.
Joining her were three ethereal backing singers whom she described as her ‘angels’: Liv Gibson, Deni Hlavinka, and Hadley Kennary. They shone Tori’s raucous undertones in a mystical, gospel-esque light.
This perhaps reminisced back to the singer’s religious roots as a Methodist minister’s daughter growing up surrounded by hymns and worship music. Their vocals were crystal clear, refined, and excellent. They especially worked well to compliment tunes like Caught A Lite Sneeze in which the original track features unearthly vocal sections as Amos warbles of the tragedy of her ‘building tumbling down.’
Jon Evans laid out the unflinching bass grooves, and ‘80s luminary drummer Erik Eldenius took to the sticks providing Tori with the groundwork to let loose on the keys whilst straddling the piano stool with her timeless valiant swagger.
The virtuoso displayed her mastery through her beloved fashionable party-trick: playing the piano with one hand and a glinting scarlet Hammond organ with the other. Not only is this impressive, but it lets the audience view Tori as she cocks her red-headed mane and is no doubt internally summoning spirits and muses.
Tori knows how to please her crowd – how to effectuate a propulsive funky groove tavern or make them swoon at the gut-wrenching ballads and really pull at our heart strings. She doesn’t hold back when it comes to expression. If crooning like a crow will put across her incentive, then she’ll metamorphose into a fully-fledged bird.
She even transcends the limits of singing techniques by enunciating words bizarrely, stretching and elongating certain syllables. Between songs she evolves into compulsive piano reveries; improvising hypnotic interludes that evoke classic minimalists like Philip Glass and John Adams.
Standout songs include Ruby Through the Looking Glass with its enigmatic lyrics and irresistible piano riffs that repeat like ruminating waves. Putting the Damage On made our hearts throb as Amos wallows in bittersweet submission. And our melancholic mermaid reminds us of hidden gems like laid back Little Amsterdam.
Isaac Levi supported with emotional guitar ballads that moved audiences.
Tori Amos played at Newcastle’s City Hall O2 on Thursday 16 April 2026.