“We’re going to start with an a cappella number... so if everyone could...” As Trembling Bells’ Alex Nielson silently mouths “shut the fuck up” to the amusement of singer Lavinia Blackwell, any association between folk and feyness is put to bed for the night. The hubbub subsides once the duo start singing, attentions held even firmer once the full band join the set.
Flanked by Zoey Van Goey’s Michael John McCarthy on accordion and a brass section borrowed from The Belle Hops, there are definite echoes of Fairport Convention, but other influences permeate from outside the folk sphere; fuzzy guitar solos and jams on keys suggest Stevie Nicks-era Fleetwood Mac have inspired more than just Blackwell’s dress sense. Towards the end, dance trio The Belles of London City jig through the crowd, decked out like Wicker Man candy canes, but such bells and whistles aren’t necessary: the Bells alone are more than sufficient.
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