traditional week

I was treated to two incredible gigs this week - The Unthanks from Northumberland and Julie Fowlis from the Hebrides. I was pretty sceptical about the Unthanks - I listened to a bit of their music and wasn't bold over. The gig was quite different - a sold out voodoo rooms saw beautifully sung songs with the complementary voices of the sisters. Quite a few sad tunes but also some fun ones - and always with good stories in between. The clog dancing was a bonus! They also seemed to be getting over the fact they were actually appearing on Jools Holland in 24 hours. The pregnant and Gaelic speaking Julie Fowlis was equally incredible - a great repetoire, on occasion with Phil 'are you pregnant too?' Cunningham. The seated Queens Hall with it's presbyterian interior and demographic didn't endear but the music washed that away - again with fantastic stories and light hearted banter between band members. It's the difference between most gigs I go to where you get a grunt or a 'cheers', if anything, between songs. More bands should consider a sprinkling of personality.