Reviews

troubadour

This at first looked to be one of those two men and a dog nights but by the time Sue Mara and Anna Kissel (One Star Awake) took the stage there was an attentive, gently buzzing crowd in the stage area and gallery.

It is not an easy thing to hold the attention of an audience for forty minutes or more with nothing more elaborate in the way of instrumentation than one voice and a fiddle, but this duo (in spite of the fact they tell me they are looking for a piano player) accomplished this with ease and grace. I must admit that I am somewhat ambivalent about fiddles in folk music as all too often the notes are the right ones, more or less, while the tone leaves a lot to be desired. All doubts were swept away as soon as Anna began to bow, weaving a full, rich tapestry of sweet melodic lines with a dark timbre that perfectly complemented Sues relaxed story-telling. The songs were mostly traditional folk - She Moved through the Fair Lough Erne; Oh Love it is a Killing Thing and Low Down in the Broom. The latter, come to think of it, sounds rather suggestive. Indeed the song was sung low, very low - definitely from the broom. When Love Comes Late was a Sue Mara original, and although everyone enjoyed the authentic feel of the traditional arrangements I am sure we would all have wished for more time and a few more where that came from. One Star Awake are a relatively new band on the scene and this was their debut at Ye Olde Porter. They will be returning some time after the leaves begin to fall and I have no doubt that their audience will too, save that it will have increased in number.

Troubadour Hook also played their first gig in Bath this week they are not only enchanting and captivating but hook is the right word - their subtly understated melodies get right into your head and stay there. This is a band that is truly doing something really different and original with music, to the extent that cross-genre simply isnt enough as they really arent too much like anything else. Their own promo states Syd Barrett meets the Andrews Sisters and perhaps thats wide enough to leave as much room as these talented musicians require. The band comprises Tony Almond, guitar, vocals Sally Marshall, vocals, French horn, trumpet, recorder, bodhran Maddy Longhurst, vocals, percussion, shruti, ukulele, guitar, melodica and recorder. They are a wonderful band and if you appreciate eclectic, cool yet unpretentious folk roots with all manner of expertly mixed influences from reggae to jazz and anything else you care to mention, and with beautifully poetic lyrics that leave you wanting more, then you should get to see them. They are playing at the Bristol Harbourside Festival at the Cascade Steps Stage (near the Watershed) at 12 noon on the 1st August, and will be returning to the Porter cellar Bar on the Tuesday 6th October.

Arnold Layne

Arnold Layne