Synopsis
Flyer
Impressions/Performances
Kate Rusby counts among the best of the modern exponents of folk tradition and is easily the most charismatic. From the moment she strolls on-stage to greet us with a chirpy "y'aw'right?" she has the audience firmly in the palm of her hand and is our perfect host for the evening. Whether introducing the song she is about to sing, or regaling us with tales of watching "C-Beebies" with new baby daughter Daisy, we hang on every word and to a Yorkshire audience especially her soft South Yorkshire accent and self-effacing manner really make us feel that she is one us. Her candour and obvious enjoyment of the evening in general and her music in particulare is totally charming and her ligh-hearted banter is genuinely funny.
Her first song is "Awkward Annie", about an ungrateful and ungracious young woman who is showered with gifts, all animals, by an ardent suitor but carelessly discards them before running away and breaking his heart. Other songs during the course of the evening included "Drowned Lovers," about two young lovers who drown in the Clyde; "The Old Man," about a man who foolishly bets that he can do three times as much work in a day than his wife; "John Barbury," about a woman whose daughter is made pregnant by a seafarer; "Daughter of Megan," a wistful song of love; "White Cockade," a lover gone off to be a soldier; "The Duke and the Tinker," about a Nobleman who plays a cruel practical joke on a drunken tinker; and various others.
Damien O'Kane, father of Kate's daughter Daisy (and husband of five days!) also gets a chance to sing "Summer Hills," a song from his recent album featuring traditional folk from his homeland of Coleraine in Northern Ireland, and in the second half Kate, no mean guitarist herself, retires to let 'the boys' entertain us with a couple of instrumental numbers - both written by Damien, "Daisy's" after their daughter and "Frantic Inspiration". Through the course of the evening Damien displays a virtuoso talent on a number of stringed instruments, with his banjo playing in the instrumental numbers being particularly impressive. The remaining band members are equally talented and together bring a level and depth of musicality that, in my experience, is rarely found in folk music.
This is traditional folk music with a fresh and lively edge, and Kate's voice has a delightful lullaby quality that would be utterly enthralling if she was singing from the telephone directory! Her soft and gentle tones, added to her simple everyday manner and beguiling local accent are easy to fall for and make it little wonder that she has built up should a large and dedicated following. This was reflected in the turnout on the night which, despite the counter-attractions of the World Cup on TV and a balmy summer evening perfect for barbecues (which Kate thanked us for foregoing), saw the hall well-filled.
Nor is it likely that any of those who did turn would have have gone away disappointed. Kate and backing band alike were on top form and served up an evening of music that was as uplifting as it was entertaining. It is a winning formula that gives her material an appeal that reaches far beyond the traditional folk scene, and brings a new and popularist approach to Britain's wealth of traditional music. At one point in the evening Kate tells us that she is required by the 'Folk Police' to depress us at least sixty percent of the time. On that score, she could well be due for arrest as her music is so melodic and generally upbeat that even the saddest songs are hardly depressing at all - but then, in Kate's own words, so far as she is concerned the folk police "can go ninny!".
Verdict
Superb traditional folk music with a fresh, lively edge and popularist appeal.
Don Gillan - www.stagebeauty.net