The Furrow Collective

A return to the house and some traditional folk music.  For too many people that phrase still conjures up an image of old men in big jumpers and the members of The Furrow Collective couldn't be much further from that outdated notion.  They're young, keep very busy with a wide variety of other bands and solo projects, but are all deeply steeped in the traditional music of their origins.

Two of the band come from England, two from Scotland, and they sing ballads from all across the British Isles, and sometimes beyond, with due respect for the originals, but bringing their own lovingly worked out interpretations.  You can see the passion they have for this music in their performances and the way they talk about it.

With Lucy Farrell on viola (and a brief bit of musical saw, Emily Portman playing banjo and concertina, Alasdair Roberts on guitar and Rachel Newton on harp and fiddle, all four take turns in providing lead vocals and adding a varied mix of harmonies.  All four are excellent vocalists from the sweetness of Portman through to the lugubrious voice of Roberts, and that rich variety

I know from past experience what  superb instrumentalist Rachel Newton is (see this review of The Shee from earlier this year), and the others all have fine reputation as musicians, but there was no showing off tonight.  There seems to have been a deliberate choice made to keep the arrangements simple and often sparse, presumably to keep the lyrics at the forefront of the sound, but it felt a bit frustrating knowing what they could be capable of and weren't delivering.

Some instrumental fireworks might have helped lift the overall performance which, whilst always enjoyable, felt a little slow paced.  The one more up tempo number they included only came at the end of the second set, and more variety would have helped the overall feel of the gig.  Although there was some unintentional relief when Emily suddenly brought fruit into the lyrics and all three women ended up with the giggles.  It might have meant the disintegration of the song, but it was the kind of  memorable moment you can only get from live music.  Between numbers the comments from the band are often amusing, sometimes informative, and they engage well with their audience.

Despite lacking any real spark of excitement this was a very enjoyable night.