Support came from local singer/songwriter Roseanne Reid. A pleasant voice, some smart guitar accompaniment and self deprecating intros made for an enjoyable set. But not a memorable one, with nothing sufficiently striking in the lyrics or melodies to stay in the mind. As her songwriting improves she should start to make a bigger impact.
Emily Kelly and Graham Coe more usually perform as a duo, but for this special performance celebrating the launch of their (truly excellent) second album they were accompanied by Jamie Francis on banjo and Herbie Loening on double bass and a bit of guitar. Plus, for a few numbers, a string quartet. Their aim to recreate, as far as possible, the lushness in the sound of their excellent and adventurous new album, Dead Reckoning.
But at the heart of the performance still lies Coe's extraordinary cello virtuosity, featuring a wide and eclectic range of influences, and Kelly's increasingly confident bluesy voice, allied to some excellent songwriting and instrumentation. As well as a stronger stage presence, and a greater willingness to share of themselves with the audience (including their mistakes!). Overall the musical style is hard to pin down, with so many sources being drawn upon, so that they are developing their own unique identity.
An excellent gig from one of the best live acts around.
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