Old Friends Bookends

Friday 15th April.

It was time for OF/B#9. On this occasion relocated over the road at Plugged Inn, instead of the usual Independent which, at the time, was in its final stages of rennovation. First on stage was acoustic singer/songwriter, Amy Holford from Newcastle. Cautiously approaching the mic and, jokingly, commenting that she "obviously wasn't worthy of an introduction" she launched into a selection of her own songs, the first being 'Crush'. Her voice was absolutely breathtaking. Unbelievably powerful. She then went on to sing a few more of her own tunes, explaining how the fourth song was meant to be one thing and then, after breaking up with her boyfriend, how it became another, more angry song. She was really appreciative of the audience and commented that it was great that people were actually listening to her. She sang a song that she had written for her grandfather who had recently died of cancer, and the passion was unmistakeable in her voice. She decided to sing her last song acapella, a cover of 'Wayfaring Stranger', previously recorded by Johnny Cash and Eva Cassidy, whom she said was her inspiration. Performing it gospel style, it was execeptional and well received by the crowd. If you get the chance to hear this girl sing, do so!

Next up was Skylark Song. A very folkie boy/girl duo also from Newcastle. Their first song 'Sirens' featured female vocals whilst the guy played acoustic guitar. Switching duties for the second song, the guy sang with the girl playing violin and providing the harmony. These guys had a very layed back 70's pastoral feel to them, and wouldn't have been out of place in an Irish country pub. Just as I was thinking this, they introduced their cover of 'Scarborough Fair'. As a big fan of Simon and Garfunkel I was a little apprehensive. However, I really enjoyed the male/female harmonies. It was a much more folkie version that could have been played in a medieval courtyard. I loved it and it was very fitting for Old Friends Bookends. They then went on to play a bluesy number called 'River', and then the Eric Clapton version of old standard 'Nobody knows you when you're down and out'. Not my thing at all as I'm not a Clapton fan. Their last song, 'Underneath the Roots' was another bluesy number with a really heavy guitar sound.

Finally the headline band, Hhymn, took to the stage. A five piece Indie/folk band from Nottingham. By the time they played their third track I was really getting into their sound. I found them interesting with the different mix of instruments which, although traditional, were very current sounding. This song had a really haunting guitar sound that gave it depth. The band explained that they were at the back end of their tour and were on the verge of releasing their album (of which I bought the very first one!) The next song 'Wolves' featured a trumpet which brought an element of the mariachi sound you hear in Spaghetti Westerns! It was incredible and the drummer was so entertaining to watch as he semed so lost in the moment. They went on to play 'Kilimanjaro' a free download track that isn't on the album. They then played an upbeat track called 'Girl of Mine'. The final song 'On My Mind', started out with a very 60's Motown beat, which I noticed had the crowd bopping around on the spot. I would definitely recommend the album. It has some cracking tunes and I hope these guys venture up to the North East again, sometime soon.