What a night! I woke up Saturday morning and remembered, just before he took to the stage to welcome the excited audience at Christ Church, Ant had asked me to write a short review of the evening. I jotted down some notes… now where did I put them? Ah yes, on the back of my Summer Programme flyer. What does it say? “Inflatable Unicorn Horn”. “Musical Flowers”, “Bottle of Botanist”, “T Shirts in March (with thigh slaps a la Motown)”, “Highland line dried washing” etc.
What? Had I drank more of the wonderful and literally, ‘Bees Knees’ brew from GWB than I had thought? Or had I inadvertently picked up Cliff's and Gaynor’s shopping list by mistake?
OK I'll come clean: for me, MAIREARAD & ANNA's performance was superb; so great was the experience that I soon forgot about writing notes and just let the beautiful music wash over me.
I was not alone… so many people after were saying the same: “wonderful musicians”, “great atmosphere”, “the music just brings a smile to your face”, “loved the stories between the tunes and songs”, “Lovely personalities”. Roger said “I just loved soaking up the whole buzz of the evening” (and he was not referring to the PA!).
Photo: Brian Smith
The evening got off to great start with a couple of old friends of the club, STEFFAN LEWIS & RACHEL FOSTER, from Yate and Totterdown respectively. I love the music they make. Beautiful harmonies, great guitar work and unique material. Their songs are delivered in an Americana/country style but the subject matter is much closer to home. The Battle of Lansdown, Chipping Sodbury's Mop Fair and my favourite Stover Road, in the country tradition of a trucking song but set on the Stover Road Trading Estate. Steffan and Rachel have an infectious enthusiasm combined with great musicality, we look forward to seeing them again.
Then to the main act of the evening, Mairearad Green and Anna Massie. Mairearad played accordion and for one, (all too short) tune to open the second half, highland bagpipes. Anna played, guitar fiddle, tenor banjo. And wow can they play! I bought Anna's CD 'Glad Company' when it first came out in 2003 and have followed and loved her and Mairearad's music since that time. I have to say Friday’s gig only served to heighten my enthusiasm for their music.
I can't list all of the music they played, for the above stated reason, but as far as I remember from my sketchy notes, they played; five reels, at least three jigs, at least one polka, two hornpipes and a couple of waltzes as well as six songs, several of which we joined in with the chorus and on one occasion Motown-esque thigh slapping.
But if, as most did, you bought the CDs you will not need me to tell you what they played. At the beginning of the evening I was looking at the merchandise desk and seeing the mountain of CDs they had brought, and I have to confess I thought “that’s a bit optimistic”. But Mairearad and Anna know the power of their music better than I do, and at the end of the evening they were at the desk selling and signing CDs like hot cakes! I jumped in and grabbed mine, thrust my tenner into Mairearad's hand and received a smile that was worth every penny... so much so that I couldn't resist buying another one! I now possess that rarity, an unsigned Mairearad and Anna CD.
Do you know what was refreshing? I never once, all evening, heard the words 'I'm sorry this is yet another depressing sad ballad'. Not that the evening did not contain pathos and its reflective moments, in, for instance, the Dougie MacLean song, 'She Loves Me When I Try', or Nanci Griffith's song 'Always Will'.
Ok, for me it was probably the best Downend Folk Club evening, but maybe I'm biased; I’m a jigs and reels junky. But more like this please… I know I'm not the only one!
- Steve Johnson, DFC Committee Member
P.S What about the inflatable unicorn horn? Well, you had to be there... but you could become a member, then you will be able to see the photo on the members page!