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Wilful Missing, Richard Moss, Ben Needham & Robin Petty, Tobias Illingsworth

Venue: Acoustic Village - The Grand
Town: Clitheroe
Date: 14th January
Website: http://wilfulmissing.co.uk/

Wilful Missing: Playing a set that consisted largely of songs from their latest album, Molehills Out Of Mountains, Wilful Missing displayed not only finely crafted indie-folk songs, but a tightness within the group that left little to be desired. The overall sound of the group was evidence of a band that has put time and effort into taking what they have on record and bettering it in their live performance. Inventive and nicely executed parts came from lead guitarist Sam Lawrence, particularly in the opening track, 'London Road', while drummer Ruth Viqueira gave a modest yet flawless performance, holding the group nicely together.

Strong vocal harmonies were also a big feature within Wilful Missing's set, particularly in 'Constitution Failed'; arguably the highlight of the set which, in addition, showcased Lawrence's fine mandolin playing. Watching the band, one can think that this is a group that really knows how to achieve the sound that they are after and while there are a few screws to tighten up with regards to a few stage technicalities, they do know how to deliver a performance that is entertaining and a sound that is distinctly uncluttered.

Wilful Missing are a young group that seem to be enjoying the recent surge of indie-come-folk music of the last year or two and, with a little more definition and perhaps originality, could well become huge within the genre. A very good live band who take their album tracks to another level in their performance; strongly recommended.

Richard Moss: An exceptional guitarist and very gifted singer, Richard Moss took to the stage with a guitar and a mandolin, playing a selection of songs with roots ranging from the north-west of England to the southern states of America. Moss impressed the crowd with a fine guitar technique that will undoubtedly leave a lasting impression and played a great selection of traditional and more contemporary style folk and blues songs. The set included a self-written guitar instrumental that combined elements of folk, bluegrass, rock and even classical music and proved to be the highlight of his set and perhaps even the whole night. The only downside to the performance was, quite simply, that it was not long enough; the audience took to Moss greatly and he served as a fantastic warm-up for the headline act.

Ben Needham & Robin Petty: A duo compromising of a singer and guitarist who worked together fantastically well on stage. Very subtle guitar parts merged with very direct vocal melodies delivered by Needham's soothing vibrato silenced the audience as the pair played a set of traditional folk mixed with elements of 1960s pop music, reminiscent of early Simon & Garfunkel. Whilst the pair did a great job of entertaining the crowd, one cannot help but think that they would really excel in a smaller, more intimate venue; a very good live act nonetheless

Tobias Illingsworth: The young singer-songwriter was the first to grace the stage tonight and, while he may have lacked some of the technical ability that the others acts possessed, young Tobias more than made up for it in the songs that he played; nicely written tunes with pleasant, catchy melodies. Illingsworth did a fantastic job of opening up the night and will certainly be one to watch out for in the future around the north-west area.

words Richard Blenkinsop
pictures Ian Blenkinsop