As part of their International Women’s Day double-header tour, Lady Maisery and O’Hooley & Tidow performed at Scarborough’s Stephen Joseph Theatre on Friday, February 28th.
It has been several years since Lady Maisery and O’Hooley & Tidow have joined forces in concert, having formerly performed as Coven, with Grace Petrie as their sixth member, for a series of tours. Tonight’s gig marks the second date for this new tour, having opened at Sheffield’s Leadmill a couple of nights before.
The evening started with a selection of songs from contemporary folk duo O’Hooley and Tidow, with Hannah from Lady Maisery providing soft percussion by way of brushing bare feet across a special mat – this later becomes the canvas for some sharp heel-tapping foot percussion for this musician and clog-dancer.
The baton passes to Lady Maisery, purveyors of fresh takes on traditional folk music, for another few songs; then there are ‘combined forces’ songs interspersed throughout. This forms the pattern for the evening, keeping the pace sprightly and weaving a variety of styles and themes together across an enchanting even from these five musicians. Between them all, keyboard, piano accordion, harp, foot percussion and more are utilised with great versatility, although the power and astonishment of a capella arrangements are equally awe-inspiring.
Individually, they run through the hits that one might reasonably expect: O’Hooley and Tidow’s Gentleman Jack (with audience participation encouraged); the immensely crowd-pleasing Beryl, and Cloudheads, a poignant and insightful piece on the theme of neurodiversity, which is given an illuminating introduction by Heidi. For Lady Maisery, the set lists includes Child Among the Weeds, Poor Man’s Lamentation, (from a broadside ballad by Uriahs Smart, music created by Hannah James as part of the Songs of Separation Project), and a cover of Bjork’s Hyperballad. Their set is also tinged with an admirable dose of socio-political fire, and through their use of historical reworkings, a sense that many challenges, of both life and history, tend to repeat themselves.
The ‘collabs’ include some favourites from their previous tours, and songs written especially for the occasion. There can be heard many a gasp of joy when certain favourites are announced, such as Kate Bush cover, This Woman’s Work, and Pussy Riot’s Coil and Spring. It is fruitless to try to pick a favourite track or moment, because each performance is a moment in itself, and the performances themselves are flawless. If I was pressed, I might offer the spectacular rendition of Woman in Space – crafted by O’Hooley & Tidow but with Coven specifically in mind – as a favourite part; but it would be a slim margin between every other perfectly curated element in this sensational mix.
Links:
Lady Maisery: Website : Facebook : Instagram
O’Hooley & Tidow: Website : Facebook : Instagram
Check out more live music and other events at the Stephen Joseph Theatre: www.sjt.uk.com
