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Heidi Talbot

Venue: Royal Northern College of Music
Town: Manchester
Date: 21/11/13
Website: http://www.heiditalbot.com/

It's been a hectic time for Heidi Talbot. First there was the release back in the Spring of her tremendous 'Angels Without Wings' album and an accompanying tour, and now more live dates with even more pencilled in for next Spring. The RNCM's concert hall is as you'd expect, a beautifully plush and roomy performance space, with Heidi and her band set down on the floor and almost overshadowed by the backdrop of the vast organ pipes awash in deep red lighting. Accompanied by husband and multi-talented multi-instrumentalist husband John McCusker together with John Doyle (seen not so long ago in the Kate Rusby band), all three took the opportunity to shine both collectively and individually across the gig.

After a breezy 'Shepherd Lad' which followed the gentle calm of opening song 'Grace Darling' with Heidi filling in on pump organ to produce a rich backing to McCusker and Doyle plucked strings, there were outings for the pick of some of the more delicate tracks from 'Angels Without Wings' - the French accordion swing of the title track taking on more of a stripped down tone with just the guitars while 'The Loneliest' and 'Dearest Johnny' sounding particularly effective with Heidi's breathy and fragile voice filling the expansive auditorium. There was also a fair selection from Heidi's back catalogue and for some variation and paying respect to the quality of the musicians alongside her, John Doyle also weighed in with a couple of his own solo pieces and there was a chance for him to join McCucker and the duo to let rip on some tunes featuring music from McCusker's 'Under One Sky' collaborative Anglo-Scots project amongst others. For the most part of the set, it was hard to take your eyes off McCusker as he performed a seated s soft shoe shuffle as his fiddle ranged from the soft and mournful to the energetically frenetic - obviously he's from the same stock of Scottish seated fiddle players as Lau's Aidan O'Rourke.

After teasing the audience with the promise that Manchester's own master of all things pip and whistle, Michael McGoldrick was going to be down to see his pals at the gig, it was after the break when John McCusker's call into the audience to see if his comrade yielded a "here" from the depths of the darkened auditorium and prompted by "have you brought your flute?" saw Mr McGoldrick bounding down the steps to join the band. Not only to join in, but to effortlessly and significantly up the ante particularly on 'Sally Brown' where his deftly fingered flute lines fitting fluently into the arrangement. A real treat for the Manchester audience to see not only a master of his instrument amongst the already impressive band but in also seeing their improvisation and collaboration give the set a real lift off.

An evening of pure quality, appreciated by audience well versed in the folk tradition of joining in as though it were a session en masse, although far removed from a crowded and boozy bar, yet also who prepared to listen in suitably reverent tones to some of the more delicate pieces.

Mike Ainscoe