Kathryn Roberts & Sean Lakeman, The Bridge Church Hall, Headless Cross
A PACKED audience enjoyed a fine evening of entertainment in the company of these two award winning folk music stars.
In Redditch courtesy of Live & Local, an organisation dedicated to bringing top quality acts to local communities, the husband and wife team did two spellbinding sets filled with tall tales, good cheer and good humour.
They also showed that modern day folk music is a million miles away from the finger in the ear ‘hey nonny no’ stereotype of yesteryear.
Granted there was a nod to olden times, particularly with a Tudor song rescued from oblivion which showcased Sean’s dazzling guitar skills, but they also played many songs of the moment.
The concert opened with ‘The Wisdom of Standing Still’ a song that should be on everyone’s playlist and listened to every day, before branching off to include songs of modern day parenting – the couple have twin daughters – to Kathryn’s take on reading of a whale who’s call is on the wrong frequency for other whales to hear ‘52 Hertz’.
We had tales of mysterious cows, the legend of the mermaid Rusalka, Napoleon on St Helena and the legend of the giant who founded the Belgian city of Antwerp.
There were of course some folk standards – a murder ballad and a number laced with double entendres – but this was fundamentally a concert which showcased the incredible songcraft and musicianship of two of the UK’s finest artists.
Thanks go to promoter Maureen Brown and Live & Local for bringing this top class act to Redditch.
Ross Crawford
