These are exciting times for lucky followers of "live" music in Nuneaton! In the space of ten days no less than three (technically four) famous ladies of Folk will have appeared in three different music venues around the.town centre.
Following Maddy Prior,Hannah James and Giles Lewin at The Abbey Theatre on Sunday night,Round Two on Tuesday 24th saw us treated to the long-awaited debut of Sarah McQuaid in Nuneaton. In the Library. After Hours to be specific. It turned out to be a very useful venue.
There seemed something slightly naughty about making so much noise in a Library:a little bit of Night At The Museum about it. But no dinosaurs appeared from behind the shelves and neither Marco Polo nor Doctor Doolittle suddenly materialised amidst the audience. The Library is an imposing and engaging space. As all the borrowers and readers had long since gone home it was all shipshape and gig-ready when we arrived.The staging had been well set out and lit: and the pre-gig Sound checks conducted by Sarah's engineer Martin Stansbury went swimmingly. McQuaid merchandise including CDs Vinyl,posters and tour shirts was already displayed alongside the stage.
NFC had helped to promote both events, but initially I confess when I realised how close together Sarah and Maddy would be appearing in town,I had misgivings about how many might turn out for the second Folk event inside 72 hours on a wet Tuesday night. Advance ticket sales had been a little slow but I was delighted to see that there was a good turnout on the door It was heartening to see so many seats taken. By Sarah's own admission this was her first visit to the town and most of us had only seen her elsewhere at Festivals or via You Tube. So it was essential,given that this was a first for most parties concerned,that the evening should be a success. Encouraging therefore,to see how many NFC regulars were in,both performers and audience members. As a club we are indeed blessed with loyal and discerning supporters.
Having started a second round of antibiotics that same afternoon due to a pernicious return bout of Bronchitis,my attendance was in the balance earlier in the day. But after a late fitness test John Kearney and myself arrived early as we had very kindly been invited to put up a modest NFC stall beforehand. We had time to meet Sarah and and all the Library staff before the show got under way.They could not have been any more hospitable and welcoming.We had also been invited to busk a few numbers from the Nunc repertoire during the interval. Dragging Paul Moore in at very late notice. (Of which more later).
Sarah is an accomplished experienced and versatile performer who engages directly with an audience. She has a rich voice,mellow and full of tone,with a good range. Her prime interest is in Songwriting-an art to which she evidently gives a lot of careful thought and consideration. Last night she played a handsome Ibanez electric guitar loaned to her by Michael Chapman,who produced her latest album.She also played a custom-made acoustic built for her by Andy Manson. Her style was economic,effective and flawless without being flash. I can tell you that there were at least five guitarists in the room and they all enjoyed her deft technique.
Being a very versatile musician she also took to the keyboard occasionally and was not averse to whacking out out a bit of percussion on a large drum strategically placed centre stage. One loaned to her by regular drummer Roger Luxton. She could also hold a note singing a cappella. This was admirably demonstrated by her encore-a haunting unaccompanied version of "The Parting Glass," addressed to a spellbound audience to close the evening. Earlier she sang a Gregorian chant in Latin. We certainly had a diverse array of styles across the evening. Occasionally she would dab a foot on an array of pedals at her feet,or Martin would conjure some magic from the mixer,enabling echo or multi tracking or delay repeats which enabled her to sing rounds with herself.
Much of the material she performed was from her latest album "If We Dig Any Deeper It Could Get Dangerous." An eclectic mix of a dozen songs, nine of which were self-written, one being an instrumental. Another album number was a collaboration with Gerry O'Beirne, The one cover version on the album-Jeff Wayne's "Forever Autumn," was a real crowd pleaser. It was a very sensitive interpretation.
Sarah McQuaid is definitely worth a further listen. There are still April and May Tour Dates to come around the U.K. The nearest remaining in the Midlands include Bromsgrove, Buxton and Nottingham. Her discography is wide,with six albums released so far. So there is much to catch up on.
The Interval entertainment, was most of Nunc minus our own lovely lady Flossy McDougall. Paul Moore,John Kearney and I did Woody Guthrie's " Vigilante Man," Randy Newman's "Guilty," U2's "When Love Comes to Town," and "Knocking on Heaven's Door." The latter with the audience singing back the choruses as they stood around sipping soft drinks and feasting on nibbles. They even applauded us. Fair enough. We didn't let the side down.
Next up at Nuneaton Folk Club in The Queen's Hall next Wednesday, our Featured Guest is Anna Ryder. Anna,who plays pretty well everything, is also making her debut. And if you count the fact that Nunc's own Flossy will be up on that stage too, with Lesley Wilson also making her NFC debut,it's been a pretty impressive fortnight for the ladies.
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