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Dana & Susan Robinson

Venue: Dartford Folk Club
Town: Dartford
Date: 18th June
Website: http://www.robinsongs.com

I must confess that before Tuesday 18th June my knowledge of Dartford was limited to its bridge and toll and the associated unending traffic which impacts my commute to gigs around London.

Now in its fortieth year, Dartford Folk Club can best be described from the outside as a family of friends. Under the watch of Pam and Alan Colls -who were recently presented with a Dartfordian Award for their services to music and the community - you need only look at the club website's 'Hall of Fame' to see who has not appeared at the club over the past forty years. The extensive selection of ales at Dartford Working Men's Club simply added to the warm reception at the folk club with no fewer than eight local draught ales (including a 2.8% driver's choice).

Dana and Susan Robinson are touring extensively throughout June, July and into August making up for lost time after an accident left Dana with a broken wrist and forced the pair to postpone their autumn 2012 tour. (Rooting around their facebook page and website I did not find a single joke connecting the ill-fated Fall Tour and the ladder which thwarted it.) Now back on the road, the Robinsons celebrate the release of their album American Hornpipe with their supporters in the UK.

Dana has clearly returned to full strength and seemed not to have had any time off from playing. The instrumental arrangements were precisely executed with the musicianship and intuition I have come to expect from a husband and wife duo. Less anticipated was Dana's Family Guy reference accompanied by a rolling of Susan's eyes.

Their performance of original songs and 'old time' music was interspersed with fiddle tunes on violin or mandolin. Multi-instrumentalists both, the songs were given varied accompaniment with the addition of Susan's banjo, Dana's harmonica and guitar which changed hands over the course of the evening. For me, Dana's original song Zephyr Wind stood out. Based on a stream of consciousness Dana explained that "sometimes it's nice not to have to tell a story" but rather to let the song unfold and take its own shape.

The duo's tribute to Pete Seeger who recently celebrated his 94th birthday was followed by a modern version of the fairytale Cinderella told from the perspective of her not so evil step sister Grizelda. This juxtaposition of songs old and new adequately summarises the breadth of the pair's repertoire. Also included were carefully selected songs written by friends and acquaintances. Hank Mattson's poem about a cracker cowboy, Lui Collins' Farmer's Market A-Z and What Would Woody Do were sung alongside English nursery rhyme Who Killed Cock Robin bringing together a range of song-writing traditions and stories which demonstrated the Robinsons' wide appeal.

With great music and a friendly welcome I would happily queue twice as long on the M25 to visit Dartford Folk Club. It was just a shame I was driving and could not sample more of the local ale.

Louise Jordan