Twisted Folk 2010

Last night I attended the Twisted Folk Tour at the Brudnell Social Club .Headlining was Caitlin Rose with support from Peter Wolf Crier and Hannah Peel. The tour handpicked the best in modern folk and twisted popular music presenting three breathtaking performances. What I loved the most about the tour was it appealed to all age groups where the audience were sitting on the floor, chilling out, acting  considerate, and  just didn’t give a damn about anything but the music.

The first to perform was Yorkshire’s own sweetheart, Hannah Peel. Having already performed before with the likes of Unthanks and David Ford her set involved virtually nothing but her spellbinding vocals and a music box. Starting with her novelty reworking of one of my favourite classics New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ she blew us away with her powerful, highly toned yet soft voice. While providing amusing advice during the show, her most memorable songs were ‘The Almond Tree’, ‘Song for the Sea’ and ‘The Wound’ giving subtle hints of a carousel resonance. Her newly released album ‘Almond Tree’ can only be bought at her gigs, but without a doubt is a golden find.

The second performance was by Peter Wolf Crier, a Minneapolis based duo. It was a completely different outlook from Hannah Peel but never the less a great sound of today. If I was to describe the band’s music in one word it would be clever. Their songs illustrate music which has been around for ages, providing a bit of folk rock and roll, creating strong percussion and experimental dynamic sounds.  The duo is so direct playing songs reflecting on their transition in life. The front man – Pisano provides a thrilling performance singing himself red while stomping his feet and rocking on the chair creating the audience to instantly move along with the beat.

Finally Caitlin Rose closed the show on a magnificent level. The Nashville singer had a star quality to her- once heard, never forgotten. Having listened to a few of her songs from daytrotter, she opened with a familiar one ‘Learning to Ride’. Not only were her vocals pitch-perfect but the audience was captivated by her personality which reflected a fun loving girl who’s up for a laugh. Her music demonstrates a country and western sound where she easily projects her affection for the ones she loves – her band, father, fans and home. Each performance she did, whether with or without her band looked and felt so effortless. Our hearts melted when she covered Randy Newman’s song ‘Marie’ expressing her passion for the song, leaving a tear in her own eye as she sang. Both of her albums ‘Dead Flowers’ and newly released ‘Own Side Now’ are flawless, the latter receiving 5 star ratings and both inhabiting her own material and immaculate covers from Rolling Stones and Fleetwood Mac. Despite her outstanding albums, she is without a doubt an artist who needs to be seen live in order to really appreciate her work. Caitlin Rose is truly a rare talent.