Laura Marling and Friends – Royal Festival Hall, London – 11/8/09
5/5
By: Tim Dellow
It’s very hard to create an event in our times... In the 60’s ten people taking acid in the UFO club whilst Pink Floyd rehearse soon transmutes through folklore into one of the most important happenings of your parent’s times (and that’s not to discredit it – I’m a big ‘Floyd fan, and would have loved to have been there, don’t get me wrong). But nowadays through the fault heightening glare of our hyper-real media machine, everything is exposed and revealed as it is. In. Real. Terms.
Amounts, weights, demographics. MASS APPEAL. That’s it. “Truth”.
Which is why perhaps the most important British scene in a generation is disregarded by the mainstream media as uncommercial and unimportant. And that, my friends, is a crock of sh*t. As two and a half thousand people cram into one of the UK’s most auspicious venues, the “truth” is dispelled: this is a vibrant scene, in high demand and tantalisingly on the brink of blowing up.
[LAURA MARLING]
Laura Marling has put together a group of musicians “Not as an exclusive thing, and not suggesting that I’ve discovered any of these artists” but to show what an inclusive, supportive and committed group of people there are in the folk underground.
Opening with a film in which each artist is given a moment to convey their personality, Laura takes the stage and introduces the format of her playing a song, then introducing a friend to perform one of their own, before they unite for the obligatory sing song Live Aid moment.
Laura’s new material is stunning. Her songwriting has progressed beyond belief from her debut album, and although a young musician still at times finding her voice, she projects a truly (post)modern world view; appreciating her place in history and using song to convey her own perspective on love and loss. Although her older material receives the warmest response (not unsurprisingly as the new album is yet to be released) ‘Ghosts’ and ‘Night Terror’ are both standouts, heartbreakingly powerful with her adept band and in this crystal sound setting.
Introducing Pete Roe “The truest folky of us all” and key player in her band, he performs a finger picking, crisply voiced ballad in the tradition of John Martyn. His appreciation and respect for the history of this form is clear, but to a degree he holds his own amongst his idols.
Ethan Johns, the producer of Laura’s new album and of course Kings Of Leon et al, was coaxed onto the stage to perform one of his own compositions, a pleasant American tinged summer frivolity.
[JOHNNY FLYNN]
Jetlagged from the Edmonton folk festival in Canada the day before, Johnny Flynn played a languid but effecting new song ‘Been Listening’. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium as an entirely converted audience soon gave way to rapturous applause.
Peggy Sue had a hard time sound wise, with a guitar cutting out for almost the entirety of their song, however they continued on and won hearts with their resilience, before being given a second opportunity to play in the encore when their modern sea shanty was perfectly placed before the sea-themed closer. Two stunning vocalists, their blend is unbeatable and the character and plot of their distinctive ditties are enthralling.
After the encore the stage is overwhelmed by Sons of Noel & Adrian a voluminous troupe formed from the Wilkommen Collective of Brighton that featured members of Hope of the States and Mumford and Sons amongst their numbers and create an epic, almost post rock take on finger-picked folk. At times reminiscent of Sophia, the controls were set for the heart of the sun and in one song the audience transported to a higher plane.
A tough act to follow, but the “fascinating creature” Alessi’s Ark took to the stage and almost stole the show with her quirkily emotive musings and obscure observations. Her song demonstrated a sophistication and depth far beyond her years and highlighted the massive potential of both her as an individual, and this scene in general.
[ANDREW BIRD]
Andrew Bird, an influencer on, yet slightly outside of this group of musicians (see also Jeffrey Lewis, Final Fantasy) is joined by Marcus Mumford and Laura Marling for a song, as well as backing her, his finger-picked violin and shrill whistle compliments his histories of events and personalities to move the audience once more, but to a more intimate place than Sons of...
[MUMFORD AND SONS]
Mumford and Sons are the last band to perform as an entity, taking the position because of their importance as Laura’s backing group, key musical influencers to her sound, and the likelihood of a swift break into the mainstream that their more streamlined “gateway” sound provides. However, this is not to discredit these fine musicians and committed team players, who are deserving of the rewards that should be forthcoming.
The final moment, where all take the stage and raise the audience to their feet, cements the triumphant mood and expectation of supreme things to come, and the thrill of being very much at the start of something: a new chapter in great British folk, and a new set of positive connotations that can be attributed to it.
Artists in this article: Laura Marling
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