|
Sunday September 15th 2024 at 8 p.m.
The Melrose Quartet
From deep roots in their hometown’s vibrant music,
song and dance scene, to smashing concert appearances in the UK and
abroad, Sheffield-based Melrose Quartet have attracted a reputation for
making music that truly connects with people. All four are
internationally renowned singers, instrumentalists, writer/composers and
teachers and in 2017 they were proud to be named the new patrons of
Whitby Folk week.
The Melrose Quartet perform a diverse repertoire – carousing chorus
songs, lively dance tunes, ancient stories and modern pieces written in
celebration of everything from weddings & birthdays to issues that
affect all of our 21st century lives. This is music for everybody.
Where is Whitchurch Leisure Centre?
Click here
Saturday December
7th 2024 at 8 p.m.
A
Winters Union
 They sound like that moment,
on Christmas eve, when the kids have gone to bed, the presents are under
the tree, the fire’s just dying down, there’s pine, cinnamon and
nectarine in the air, there’s excitement, anticipation and giddiness.
Everything is just about to burst. Whatever that feeling is, A Winter
Union is that!
Hannah Sanders has a voice that is both snowflake perfect and icicle
pure. When she starts Ding Dong Merrily on High a visible chill ripples
around the room, and then Rhiannon and Gilmore join in the harmonies and
that Christmas Eve feeling washes over everyone.
The three voices twist and twirl together again and again – like Holly,
Ivy and Mistletoe weaving around an old tree trunk – making Joni
Mitchell’s River even more beautiful than ever. Jade Rhiannon,
 from much
missed Americana/folk dynamos The Willows, is like one of those actors
that help make everyone else look brilliant and then, when she’s in the
spotlight, you wonder why she’s not in every film ever.
Her voice is absolutely glorious, her harmonies are fantastic and when
she
sings solo the world simply melts away around her. On both Our
Wassail and The Holly and The Ivy she is divine. Whilst Rhiannon and
Sanders have these beautiful, crystalline voices, it is violin genius,
Katriona Gilmore, that has the voice of a cosy fireside. When she sings
her own Every Midnight Mile, every Christmas Eve spent with loved ones
is effortlessly conjured.
On the reflective Raise a Candle the others hover around her single
microphone but it is her voice that reminds us that December can be
tough as well as joyous. All of which just leaves Ben Savage and Jamie
Roberts. They are the sellotape on the carefully wrapped presents, the
extra, crucial roast potato at the feast. They hold everything together,
adding acoustic guitars and yet another layer of exquisite harmonies.
Roberts has an honest fierceness, bringing to mind harsh, frost hardened
ground while Savage gives us a different type of winter. His is sun
dappled and Los Angeles bound, with covers of songs by Townes Van Zandt
and The Band balancing the chill.
In amongst the glittering
jewels and celebrations of winter one song stood out however. An
incredible Gospel Folk version of the hymn Rise Up, Shepherd,
and Follow had all five harmonising, the unmistakable power of a simple
song sung with joy and passion. It was truly amazing. Seeing A Winter
Union in the weeks before Christmas is starting to become a bit of a
tradition. It’s one tradition that is well worth upholding. Time to deck
those halls.
Where is Whitchurch Leisure Centre?
Click here |
