I don't usually do reviews of gigs, mainly because I can't
get out to many, but I have just returned from seeing Applewood
Road at Union Chapel in London,
and they were sensational. Applewood
Road is a trio of very fine singer/songwriters in
their own right: Emily Barker, Amber Rubarth and Amy Speace. I have been a big fan of both Emily Barker
and Amy Speace for some time now (and I will certainly be investigating Amber
Rubarth's solo work very soon), and together they produce something very
special indeed. (There is an audience video of the whole concert on YouTube now, with pretty decent sound here .)
I expected this concert to be good, but it was simply
stunning. All three women have lovely
voices, each distinct in its way, and they blend fabulously. They are also all superb singers; technically
they are brilliant with impeccable intonation and a wonderful engagement with
each other, and they brought real feeling and impact to every song in a varied
set. These were all new songs from their
forthcoming album (with one exception) and they were terrific, from the
atmospheric opener Applewood Road, via stunningly lovely and powerful stuff
like I'm Not Afraid Any More and love songs to good ol' Country stompers which
made everyone smile from ear to ear. I
was spellbound from start to finish.
There were two or three false starts to songs as all three
forgot how the beginnings of their own material went, but they were all handled
with immense good humour and actually increased an already fine rapport with
the audience, and once into a song they were invariably magnificent. A special
highlight for me was their cover of Losing My Religion. Covering such a great song whose original is
simply one of the finest tracks of the last 30 years or so is, let's face it,
a brave move. This was beautiful,
powerful and hauntingly melancholy – and it moved me almost to tears. (And it's now available on YouTube here .)
Quite simply, if you get a chance to see Applewood
Road live, just GO! It really is something special, and I don't
say that lightly.
Do look out for their album which is out in February
2016. You will find my reviews of some
of Emily Barker's and Amy Speace's albums on this blog, or here:
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