Dowally, a young fiddle and guitar duo (although they did say there was often an accordionist as well), provided support. A selection of their own tunes, and a cover of Sandy Wright's great song, Wild Hurricane. Plenty of variation in tempo, style and influences, produced a set that was never predictable and always of interest. There was one whistle tune, only just composed, for which they sought a title, but I never got to tell them of my suggestion, Jelly and Ice Cream, as it only occurred to me some time later!
The delivery of the vocals came as a surprise, Rachel's voice sounding far more mature than her youth suggested, and she did a good job of making such a familiar number her own. They do need to develop their stage craft a bit, with the links between songs sounding hesitant and unconvincing, but that will no doubt come with time. A very enjoyable set.
The Jellyman's Daughter we'd seen only once before, more than a year ago, as a support act. Their CD has had many plays at home, but this was our first opportunity to see them live again, and we were looking forward to seeing how they had developed. The duo, Emily Kelly on guitar and Graham Coe on cello, were joined for a couple of numbers by Emily's dad (the actual Jellyman himself we were informed) on banjo, and a double bass player for much of the set.
Mostly they sing their own songs, plus a few heavily rearranged covers. There are some striking tunes, and plenty of variety of pace and tone both between and within their compositions. Emily has an interesting voice, managing to be both breathless and bluesy. Graham's is less distinctive, but provides contrast and harmonies, and together they are extremely effective. There is a strong musical intelligence at work behind the arrangements and they are clear about the sound they are aiming for.
Kelly's guitar work is of decent quality, but the sound that makes The Jellyman's Daughter unique, and so fascinating to watch, is down to Coe's mastery of his instrument. If you think of the cello as somewhat staid, only to be seen in chamber music quartets, watching this man play will convince you otherwise. His solos, both bowed and pizzicato, are as exciting as anything you'll hear from an electric guitar. He has developed his own chopping style, aggressively slashing at the strings with his bow, which adds both sonic and visual drama.
Amongst the songs there are some, like Anna and Carolina, that stay in the brain long after the show has ended. I am also happy to commit the sacrilege of saying that their dynamic reinterpretation of the Beatles' Can't Buy Me Love is one that makes the original sound like a commercial jingle.
The bassist provided a nicely understated backbeat for much of the set. For their final encore the duo were joined by five members of the Tinderbox Orchestra, and their sound engineer on drums, and gave some indication of the richer sounds they may develop in future. They have matured nicely over the twelve months since we first saw them, with a much stronger stage presence and ability to build a relationship with their audience. There is every indication that they are just going to get better and better with time.
A class act.
If you'd like to see what I'm talking about....
Here they are delivering Anna with the help of the superb Cera Impala and Dirk Ronnenburg.
And this is Honey.
Finally, that magnificent Beatles cover.
Enjoy.
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