Cat Power at Albert Hall

Seminal US folk-rock artist Cat Power (aka Chan Marshall) returns to Manchester after a long absence, touring her latest album, Sun. Having toiled over the years with addiction and mental health issues, her songs betray a rich seam of emotion, with cover versions such as her take on John Phillip Baptiste and George Khoury’s Sea of Love surely among the most moving on earth. Like kindred spirit PJ Harvey, her sound roves from pared down acoustic guitar and cracked vocals to fully fleshed out rock and roll numbers. Whatever mode she is in, though, you can guaranteed that Cat Power’s heart is fully on board. In more recent years her live shows have become celebratory affairs: her 2010 performance at the Academy saw her dancing and smiling, a great change from early Noughties performances, which were typically characterised by stage fright. One of the modern American greats, albums of note include the aptly named The Greatest (2006), ‘rebirth’ record Sun (2012), her bare-bones covers record, simply called The Cover Record (2000) and the loose and fabulous You Are Free from 2003. We’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to the show. To win, send the answer to the question below in an email to competitions at manchesterwire dot co dot uk with the subject line ‘Cat Power competition’. Be sure to include your name, age, phone number and Twitter handle. The competition closes at 5pm on Friday 9 October, and we’ll notify the winner by email.

This competition is now closed – but you can still book tickets below.

Tue 27 Oct, Albert Hall, 27 Peter Street, M2 5QR. Tel: 0844 858 8521, 7pm, £25, bit.ly/1OTXYLL