The small Derbyshire town of Belper does not usually appear in a list of great music venues of Britain. However looking at the signed posters from a variety of acoustic/ folk musicians on display in the lovely little room above The Queen’s Head it’s clear it punches well above its weight.
A small, but enthusiastic crowd are gathered to see twice nominated BBC Folk Awards duo Gilmore & Roberts consisting of Katriona Gilmore on vocals, fiddle and mandolin, and Jamie Roberts on vocals and amazing lap-tapping acoustic guitar which cleverly combines strumming guitar melodies and accompanying rhythm section by striking the guitar’s sound box mid-strum.
Todate they’ve recorded three albums of story-telling songs with strong melodies and beautiful playing. Opening tonight with ‘The Stealing Arm’ described by Jamie about “an arm transplant, which goes horribly wrong”. Katriona sings about her sat nav! “. You find your way by satellite. So take me home …Silver Screen”. Jamie’s song about an irregular customer in the Subway he worked at during his student days ‘Louis was a Boxer’. “…He took a blow too many and now he’s lost his mind, ‘cos Louis was a boxer … in his prime”.
To provide some variety there’s a jazzy-influenced instrumental and a cover of their favourite Christmas song from the Albert Finney film “Scrooge”
The majority of tonight’s set is from ‘The Innocent Left’ (2012)and the main set closes with the first track from that album about the doomed ‘Scarecrow’, “ … he fails at the only thing he knows. Scaring crows”. The eerie main fiddle melody of which could be the dance tune of choice for the pagan parade from ‘The Wicker Man’ as they propel Edward Woodward through the streets of Summerisle to his flaming conclusion; it’s that creepy.
The encore is a beautiful slowed down of Alice Cooper’s ‘Poison’ their version is accompanied by guitar and mandolin rather than a boa constrictor and guillotine.
A 4th album is promised for 2014 and they tour regularly; both should be on anyone’s wanted list for 2014.
Alisdair Whyte
