The Lady: A Homage To Sandy Denny

Sandy Denny means surprisingly little to most people today, and yet over time she is being increasingly seen as one of the most important female figures in the world of folk, pop and rock, an artist mainly known for her voice (and her untimely death in 1977) but also for her songwriting and lyrics.

Tonight’s carefully paced homage featured many contemporary singer songwriters such as Joan Wasser (Joan As Policewoman), Thea Gilmore, Sam Carter, Blair Dunlop, Ben Nichols, Green Gartside (Scritti Politti)  and the superb Lavinia Blackwell, as well as contemporaries of Denny: Maddy Prior, PP Arnold and Jerry Donahue (on guitar throughout). With each guest performing one or two each in turn (plus duets, trios and group efforts) this could have resulted in a show lacking fluidity. But, despite, the disparate voices and vocal ranges, it somehow flowed, each artist treating the material with respect whilst imparting their personal stamp on the songs, each one obviously a big fan of Denny. And the musicianship was top class throughout; tight yet expressive; textured and yet unfussy. We were even graced by the presence of Gilmore’s five-year-old son on stage playing the violin!! Thankfully, there was little in the way of cloying sentimentality, just a superb musical homage.

Concert Hall, Brighton Dome, 21 May 2012

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