JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN // THE CAVES, EDINBURGH
Lemons, Limes and Orchids World Tour 25
★★★★★ (5/5)
JOAN AS POLICE WOMAN
In the clammy depths of Edinburgh's Caves, Joan As Police Woman entered the room like a 30s noir heroine to deliver her musical truth to the packed, expectant crowd. Armed with nothing but a piano, guitar, and that voice – dear god, that voice – she transformed the ancient stone vault into something special, a union of musician and the assembled faithful.
Joan Wasser, the woman behind the badge, occupied that space where jazz, soul, and rock converge into something more potent. Her Edinburgh appearance drew a crowd that packed themselves sardine-tight into the subterranean venue, their collective body heat transforming the place into something approaching a Tennessee sweat lodge.
The night began with Wasser emerging from the shadows and settling herself at the piano with the casual authority of someone who knows exactly what they're about to do to your nervous system. From the opening spare chords of Honor Wishes, it was clear we were in the presence of genuine musical authenticity.
What followed was a masterclass. Wasser's fingers danced across the ivories with the precision of a jazz veteran, while her voice – that extraordinary instrument that can shift from raspy whisper to soul-shattering wail in a heartbeat – held the audience in suspended animation. The ghost of Nina Simone seemed to hover approvingly in the dank Edinburgh air. Every song told a tale, a confession, a life story or a prayer.
Joan was visiting the UK as part of a seemingly unending tour to promote her new album, Lemons, Limes and Orchids and the first track from that, the bluesy Full Time Heist, was well received by the faithful nodding and dancing to the vibe.
By the time she swapped to guitar for a raw, stripped-back rendition of To Be Loved, the crowd had moved beyond appreciation into something resembling collective hypnosis. You could feel the room syncing to the rhythm. Noticing, Joan thanked them for their appreciation of her quiet music.
Her between-song banter carried all the sharp wit and unexpected turns of her compositions. “I’ve never played in a cave before – I like it”. The crowd ate it up.
The set's emotional climax arrived with Safe to Say, a slow soul ballad where Joan added a slow drumbeat from her Roland. The crowd was transfixed. After the last chord, a lady beside me gasped, “Oh wow” There's something almost intimate about witnessing someone lay themselves this bare, this honestly, without the safety net that lesser performers hide behind. That Wasser can do this night after night without complete emotional exhaustion is amazing.
For the encore, she returned with Real Life, a song which could have come from the back catalogue of that other chanteuse, Joni Mitchell, it was captivating.
As the final notes faded into the stone walls – walls that have absorbed centuries of human drama – the audience remained suspended in that precious moment of silence before applause, that rare space where the true impact of great art is felt. Then the spell broke, and the cavern erupted.
This was a unique performance from a special artist, with an incredible back catalogue, whose warm personality turned fans into friends. Check out Lemons, Limes and Orchids, an album from a musician at her creative best.