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Emily Maguire with Christian Dunham

Venue: The Gala - Cluny 2
Town: Durham - Newcastle
Date: 12-13/9/13
Website: http://www.emilymaguire.com

After far too long away, Emily Maguire, along with her husband and bass player, Christian Dunham, made a welcome return to the North East. I was lucky to see them perform at both The Gala in Durham and their beloved Cluny 2 in Newcastle, over two consecutive nights, as they tour to promote Emily's stunning new album, Bird Inside a Cage.

Their show at the Gala took place in The Studio, a multipurpose room upstairs. The sound quality is fabulous but my personal feeling is that the layout of the room could be better for live music. However, they certainly host a wide array of artists across their two performance spaces and great kudos to them for recognising, supporting and promoting live music in the area. Long may it continue.

There was no support act and so we were totally spoiled by two wonderful sets from Emily and Christian, as they flawlessly took us through songs from Emily's four CDs. Sparking off each other, they told us stories from the road and Australia and made us laugh between songs which took us on emotional journey as only Emily can do. Christian assured us that after some confusion recently as to which town they were actually in, we were safe as Durham rhymed with Dunham, so he knew exactly where he was this time!

Previously The Round, and now a more traditional and rather lovely little music performance space, The Cluny 2, one of their favourite venues to play on tour, provided a totally different format for the evening, involving two support acts. Indeed a strange theme emerged for the evening, which I assume was mere coincidence. Ryan Bird and This Little Bird opened, then Emily played songs from Bird Inside a Cage.

Ryan Bird opened the evening. He is clearly still very young and about to debut his first EP. He came across as quietly confident as he sang Doce, Learn, Secrets, The Harsh Truth and my favourite of his, Funny, in which I loved the line "Life can be funny when you live in your own good thoughts."

This Little Bird took to the stage, greeting us with "Hi everyone, Merry Friday!" Somehow she reminded me of Eddi Reader, as she chatted and demonstrated great potential as both a writer and a singer. A couple of songs felt a little cliched but when she got to what she believes in, she really hit on something good. Charming her audience with her banter, she played such songs as Romance is not Dead, An Enemy, Emptiness, Winter Winds, I Had a Man and the very clever Tattoo. I sincerely hope we see her open more shows as I will be interested to see how her style develops. She has some material on Bandcamp, should anyone wish to listen.

Emily and Christian came out, instantly at ease, on this, their third visit to The Cluny 2 stage. Instantly in the zone, they merged into one musical entity as the emotional trip reached an even higher peak than the previous evening. The smiles never left their faces and the sparkle in Emily's eyes allowed for no doubt that she was loving every moment of it. We were even treated to an encore.

Over the two evenings, the setlists were similar; the notable exception was that we only heard Believer, the brilliant title track from her last CD, at The Gala. A lovely balance was struck between old and new music, allowing us to hear new material alongside some old favourites. Emily switched intermittently between guitar and keyboard as the songs dictated. Both evenings opened with Free, followed by Someday, about the Isle of Purbeck, the only place Emily really missed when she moved to Australia several years ago. The first song she had played on Terry Wogan's Radio 2 show, speaks of perseverance, giving us a valuable lesson that sometimes all we can do is Keep Walking. Wanting Time, I feel is a song we all relate to at times; we've all been, or will be there at some point(s) in our lives. Emily is very good at putting those universal feelings and experiences into words that many of us would be unable to find.

Beautiful, the opening track from her new CD, and one of my favourites, was written for a friend, but has the potential to strike a chord with all women who need a little reassurance. Live it is stunning. Bicycle Made for Two and Standing made an appearance, as did the upbeat Lighthouse Man. Telling us the story of Melanie Reid, a journalist paralysed in a horse riding accident, Emily told us how she was moved to write her a song after reading an article she had written. The incredibly touching Bird Inside a Cage; sung from both the points of view of Melanie and her husband, moved the audience to silence. Emily then told us Melanie had heard the song, given it her blessing and written an article about the song. It really is a beautiful piece of music.

North and South, a love song, was played, alongside the bluesy Old Valentine, which Emily told us was one of those rare songs that seemed to write itself. Telling us the story of Aled Jones being sent and playing this song, which was then heard by the Waterboys' manager who asked them to open for Don Maclean, and the plane tickets they cancelled to go home to Australia after a short tour, she clearly has no regrets at immediately saying "Yes." (Apparently, however, the customers who loved the cheese she made from their farm back in Queensland, had other thoughts!) That song was Back Home and it is clear to see why it had the impact it did.

Christian leaves her on stage alone, to play Falling on my Feet, and to tell the story of how it was written in Park Royal Centre for Mental Health, where thankfully they let her keep her guitar. Emily's greatest gift lies in articulating her experiences with mental health in a way which is accessible to everyone, be this through her book, her interviews, or indeed, her music. Never is this more apparent than in Over the Waterfall. I think this may be the most incredible thing she has written. It allows us into her life, her head, and explains what those highs and lows feel like, in a way we can understand. Considering the current prevalence of mental health issues, it can only be a blessing if we have some insight and empathy, however small, into what that is like for those who live with it daily. Delivered live, seeing the emotion and intensity in Emily's eyes, the lyrics felt even more powerful and I felt quite emotional to think that is where she has been more than once.

I'd Rather Be was played in a rather more rocky format almost daily on Radio 2, but at her shows, Emily prefers us to hear it in its original, slower, more lyrically focussed version. There is no doubt that this song comes from a very personal place too; quite a remarkable place in many ways.

Both evenings closed with Start Over Again, the song Emily calls "...the story of my life in three and a half minutes." Sage advice to us all, really, to know when to cut our losses and start over again.

After both shows, Emily and Christian chatted and signed CDs, demonstrating that they are as lovely off stage as on, amidst promises to comes back and play for us again soon. Until then, I urge those of you who can to go see them at a venue near you and to look up her CDs; you really are in for something truly special. Until her next visit to the North East, I hope She Knows that we are Wanting Time with her and her music again very soon!

Helen Mitchell
photocredit Neil King (Not taken at gig)