WHAT THE WORLD NEEDS NOW: SAVORETTI, JENKINS AND A NIGHT FOR WAR CHILD

LIVE REVIEW | KATHERINE JENKINS & JACK SAVORETTI w/ Gabriella Cilmi | EMERALD THEATRE, LONDON | 25th February 2025 by Kevin O’Sullivan

Some gigs are about the setlist. Some are about the room. And some are about something far bigger than the stage they’re played on.

Last night at the Emerald Theatre, it was unmistakably the latter. A War Child evening that brought together Gabriella Cilmi, Katherine Jenkins and Jack Savoretti under one ornate roof, not simply to perform, but to stand behind a cause that should not have to exist — and yet absolutely must.

War Child gigs have raised over £8 million in the last decade alone. That figure matters. But the bigger number — the one that hung heavy in the air — is that more than 500 million children across the world are currently affected by war. Half a billion young lives shaped by conflict.

War Child CEO Helen Pattinson addressed the crowd early in the evening. No grandstanding. Just clarity. She spoke about the charity’s specialist psychological support for children living through trauma. About rebuilding not just schools and homes, but minds.

She told the story of Banine, a young girl in Lebanon whose house was blown apart while she and her sister were inside. Their physical injuries healed. The mental scars did not. War Child’s trauma specialists worked with her patiently, steadily. Today, Banine is studying at university to become a doctor. A child once buried under rubble now rebuilding others.

It is a sobering thought that an organisation like War Child has to exist. In a better world, it wouldn’t. But in this one — fractured, volatile, violent — it is desperately needed.

And if you are going to gather 800 people together to raise money and awareness, you could hardly pick a better space.

The Emerald Theatre is still relatively new in London terms, but it already feels established. A quoted standing capacity of around 800 makes it intimate by West End standards. Eight hundred people, shoulder to shoulder. No corporate distance. No cavernous echo. Just warmth and proximity.

It is a venue built for live performance. The acoustics are clean but forgiving. The balcony curves protectively around the floor. It has been quietly building its reputation over the last few years, and nights like this confirm it — this room was made for moments that require connection.

Opening the evening was Gabriella Cilmi, and from the first note it was clear she hadn’t arrived to simply warm the room up.

Born in Australia and performing since she was just 13, Cilmi has been releasing music since the noughties. Her breakthrough hit, ‘Sweet About Me‘, is nudging close to 100 million Spotify plays — a reminder that she has long since earned her stripes. She has been based in London for around 15 years now, and there’s a settled confidence about her.

At times she leaned casually against the piano, utterly at ease, as though this theatre was a familiar haunt rather than a prestigious stage. Her voice still carries that smoky depth that first caught attention, but it now comes with nuance and restraint.

‘Pieces’ stood out — reflective and quietly powerful, with lyrical nods to her younger self that felt honest rather than indulgent. Her cover of Solsbury Hill by Peter Gabriel was beautifully judged. She didn’t overwork it. She let it breathe.

By the end of her set, it didn’t feel like a support slot. It felt like a complete performance. On another night, she could easily have headlined this venue.

Then came Katherine Jenkins OBE — introduced by the compere as having one of the best voices ever, ever, ever. It sounded like exaggeration. It wasn’t.

Fans had travelled far and wide for the privilege of seeing her perform in front of just 800 people standing. Later this year she marks 25 years in music with shows in much larger venues, so this felt rare. Almost unlikely.

She told the crowd it was the first time she had ever performed to a standing audience. But there were no nerves. Quite the opposite. She revelled in it. The energy rising up from the floor seemed to invigorate her. There was a spark in her eye, a looseness to her movement. The closeness suited her.

Her voice — crystal clear, precise, powerful — filled the Emerald Theatre effortlessly.

The theme running through her set was love, a deliberate nod to War Child’s work. Love as comfort. Love as resilience. Love as remembrance.

‘I Will Always Love You’, sung in Italian with permission from Dolly Parton, was breathtaking. Not theatrical for the sake of it. Just tone and control at the highest level. ‘The Prayer’ soared. The Theme from The Godfather carried cinematic drama that wrapped itself around the balcony. ‘A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square’ felt timeless.

And then ‘Jealous of the Angels’, dedicated to her father, her greatest supporter. She admitted it still catches in her throat. You could feel the emotion building, but she didn’t falter. She owned it. The performance was heartfelt without tipping into sentimentality. What a voice. What a presence.

After the interval, Jack Savoretti stepped into the light and opened with ‘Candlelight’. A bold move. A crowd silencer. The room went utterly still.

It remains one of his finest songs — cinematic, tender, emotionally open. The perfect start.

Savoretti spoke candidly about the ongoing war in Ukraine, recalling a visit where he was guided by a 20-year-old who had already lost friends. Twenty years old. It shouldn’t be a statistic. It shouldn’t be a reality. You could see why War Child means so much to him. He has supported the charity for years, and it feels deeply personal.

A gorgeous cover of ‘Kathy’s Song’ — a piece that soundtracked his childhood after hearing it on a tape recorder — was delivered with warmth and reverence. ‘Knock Knock’ turned playful, loosening the crowd, bodies swaying. ‘Home’ landed exactly as it should, communal and cathartic.

He is due to play the Royal Albert Hall in April, and based on this performance, it will be a perfect match. He has the emotional range and stage presence to fill it.

But it was the encore that defined the night.

Savoretti returned and was joined by Katherine Jenkins for ‘What the World Needs Now Is Love, Sweet Love’. No irony. No heavy-handedness. Just two exceptional voices blending in a room holding 800 people who understood the sentiment completely.

Perfect words. Perfect venue. Perfect singers. For a perfect cause.

War Child should not have to exist. But until the world finds a way to protect its children from the consequences of adult conflict, it does. And nights like this — intimate, generous, deeply human — prove the power of music to do more than entertain.

Eight hundred people in a small London theatre. Raising money. Raising awareness. Raising hope.

What an extraordinary night.