Laienda
 Laeinda
08 January 2009
It's cold and empty in the cellar bar, a situation made stark by the warmth and bustle upstairs. There's enough musical gear about for a full band but, once a respectable scattering of hardy souls has arrived to watch him, it turns out that one man uses the lot. Edd ‘The Green Man' Keane builds his warm-up set of tunes with loop pedals, flitting from guitar to bass to cajon to sax 9and so on) to assemble each number. It's a lively performance - as much juggling act as music making - and his quick-change stage hopping keeps our photographer busy. The resulting music, a kind of prog-acoustica, inevitably recalls ‘Tubular Bells' or an out-take interlude from a lost Yes album and succeeds best on his final loping North African groove.
There's good news and bad news when Edd returns with the rest of Laienda for the main set. Good news - more people have arrived. Bad news - an impromptu hen party's going on round the corner. Considering this and the still (literally0 chilled atmosphere, the band do well, starting vigorously with 'La Guitarra', Lorca's words sung in convincing Spanish by vocalist Nina Bambrey. It's the start of a magpie set that includes English folk, Mexican tango, Polish Klezmer and mediaeval dance number. Rhiannon Buck's fiddle is an assertive melodic and rhythmic lead and this, combined with Bambrey's considered stagecraft and the general upbeat groove, give the band definite promise in an increasingly crowded Gypsy folk scene. The Polish number ‘Jesien', underpinned by pounding hand drums courtesy of Ross Bambrey and Edd, showcases their potential and highlights the value of moving away from the sometimes deadening ‘folk club guitar' chords and strums. There's a world of harmonic possibilities out there, after all.
Tony Benjamin (Venue Magazine)
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