Jonny Kearney & Lucy Farrell

Although they come with the backing of folkies The Unthanks, Kearney and Farrell are not folk traditionalists, instead they plough a distinctive furrow of gentle yet oddly edgy and sometimes haunting vignettes that straddle indie, folk and acoustic music in general, where perhaps Tunng meets Johnny Flynn. Standing next to each other, their vocals (sometimes solo, sometimes harmony) overlay the superb acoustic guitar work of Fearney along with Farrell’s occasional viola work… And rather than what could have been a dour and serious performance, their in-between song humour is often amusing and always engaging. Not only that but they don’t take themselves too seriously as performers, admitting to the fact they make up the set list as they go along and enjoying their occasional mistakes. Not that this distracts from their remarkable musical partnership, built on some very strong and well-crafted songs and their gorgeous vocal interplay.

Latest MusicBar, 28 March 2012
Rating:
Jeff Hemmings