This is an archived post from our old website. Please excuse us if it looks a bit off, we are working through old posts and making sure they look tip top!
I arrived at the Crown Spa’s Consort Suite a little bit early, which was handy, as there was a good display of merchandise and band photos at the back which I was glad to have a look through before the gig began.
Raven stepped out from behind the curtains to find a completely packed venue – extra chairs were required to seat every avid audience member, and there was an almost palpable air of excitement.
Mixing five-part harmonies, co-ordinated arm movements, interesting lighting and a broad range of instruments, Raven soon created an intoxicating atmosphere.
They played a variety of songs from throughout their career, including two songs written especially for last years epic performance of Orpheus the Mariner. The combination of bongos, keys, bass, guitar, accordion, ukelele and flutes was the perfect background for the group’s tight harmonies and tales of love and longing.
From the way they performed together, and the jokey nature of their chatter between songs, it was clear that Raven were well-practised and completely in-sync with one another.
Although it was perhaps not the sort of music I’d usually be drawn to, I’m very glad that I chose to see them – it was a captivating performance full of memorable songs.
