First on stage was singer and cello player Bird, accompanied by a second guitarist and presenting a strong set of her own compositions and a cover of Dylan’s ‘Lay Lady Lay’. The Wandering Hearts as always blended their three voices to magical effect, especially on opening song ‘Burning Bridges’ and a complex overlaying of Simon and Garfunkel songs, based on ‘Scarborough Fair’.
Ward Thomas were playing all of the tracks from their ‘Cartwheels’ album to celebrate ten years since release. An energetic ‘Guilty Flowers’ started the show with the vocals soaring above the razor-sharp band. Favourites of mine were the tangled emotions of the title track and the sheer beauty of ‘One More Goodbye’ as well as the big country-pop flourish of ‘Carry You Home’. Covers of Dolly Parton’s ‘Coat of Many Colours’ and Fleetwood Mac’s ‘Landslide’ fitted well into this excellent performance.
Ward Thomas (wardthomasmusic.co.uk)
MUSIC | BIRD (birdofficial.com)
