Southern Tenant Folk Union, Storytelling Centre

A band whose live performances I've reviewed three times in the past, and with the same line of personnel for tonight's as for those on 10 December 2015 and 12 May of this year, so there's not all that much new to say.  The fact that I've been to see them again indicates I'm something of an established fan, and this was another excellent performance.

There was plenty of new material though, from the recently released seventh album, Join Forces.  Once again much of the material is political, McGarvey happily wears his left of centre views on his sleeve, and the act is all the better for that honesty.  Tories will not always feel comfortable at a Southern Tenant gig.

The evening mixed up the old and new, with more recent material dominating the first set, the back catalogue more apparent in the second.  It's a reminder of how much the band's styles and personnel have changed over the decade in which they've been recording and performing.  The current five piece has survived for some time now, and is all the better for it.  It's proving to be one of the best yet, with Rory Butler's thin but  interesting voice providing his own fresh interpretations of older songs and setting the tone for those on the last two CDs.  Musically the style is more folk than country at the moment, with Katherine Stewart's fiddling at the forefront, but McGarveys plinking banjo always providing a reminder of their Americana roots, even on the superb, and very Scottish, sets of tunes that Stewart sparkled on.

Always enjoyable, especially in front of a home crowd, Southern Tenant continue to impress as a live act and wouldn't disappoint any fan of quality folk and acoustic music.