Two Canadians, two Danes and two hours of engaging international
folk music; what more do you need to get you out of your living room on a wet
January Monday night. For those of us who did, it is to the credit of MC Hansen
and Carly Dow for sharing the produce of their fertile craft in such a supreme manner. The live music at Birmingham’s premier listening venue wasted little time in getting under way in 2017 with a New Year’s Day show and just two weeks
into the year we have had a glimpse at the impressive quality of touring acts
likely to pass through the doors over the next twelve months. This presentation
was part of a number of dates that Carly is sharing with MC Hansen on her inaugural
European tour and the format of the evening rolled out as a split bill
co-headline show.Carly, who was accompanied by her touring partner Logan McKillop, first crossed my path twelve months ago when her debut album release had the fortunate boost of being successfully promoted in Europe. Her style resembled the current crop of contemporary Canadian folk artists, mining the vast expanses of her home environment armed with an acoustic toolkit and a headful of tuneful ideas. Like the majority of touring acts in a similar style, the opportunity to furnish their songs with the charm of the alluring background song story was relished by Carly and it was a blessing to have your imagination fuelled by enhanced content.
So over the course of the near hour Carly spent in the
spotlight, our minds were taken from rural Manitoba further north up to the
Yukon territory, while taking in local rivers, scenery, unimaginable low
temperatures and the exploits of the local wildlife. All this primarily
revolved around tracks from the album in question INGRAINED, plus a new song
and an established cover thrown in for good measure. To soundtrack these
beautiful songs, Carly alternated between guitar and banjo, with several
interjected interludes by sidekick guitarist Logan adding both a perfect
finesse and foil to the instrumental proceedings.
From the album, ‘Too
Much To Go Back’ bristled with the splendour of its recorded existence,
while ‘Not a Songbird’ rose to prominence
on the back of a heart-warming story and a beautiful rendition. The cover of
Gillian Welch’s standard murder ballad ‘Caleb
Meyer’ crowned a superb set with the deal that began with the discovery
Carly’s music a year ago now sealed and delivered.
While Carly’s mainland Europe and Scottish dates are solely
with Logan, the England shows have seen a tie up with Danish folk singer MC
Hansen who tours with his harmonium playing musical partner Jacob Chano. The
playing of this unusual instrument, although frequently seen on the folk
circuit, adds a regal organ-like deep sound to the atmosphere of the songs. MC
possesses an extremely affable vocal style which occasionally slows to a
talking pace at opportune moments. Harmony vocals are another feature of MC and
Jacob’s stage persona, alongside a major gift to the audience in the warm
affinity appeal of the stories forming the entertaining songs that surface.
An unlikely link between the influences of Carly and MC
emerged when the latter introduced his latest record, heavily inspired by
extensive travel which reached the remote Canadian wastelands of the Yukon
territory. These travels further ventured around North America with the state
of Ohio proving a popular location for stories. Inevitably the tales reached
the homeland of MC and this was reflected in the album’s title FROM WHITEHORSE
TO THE CROW’S NEST, the latter being a place not too far from his Copenhagen
home. As the songs and stories flowed, the empathy between audience and artist
grew which culminated in an emotive finale when MC invited back Carly and Logan
to the ‘stage’ to deliver an off-mic gospel piece. Venues like the Kitchen
Garden Café are heaven sent for this type of delivery especially when the
curation is impromptu and proves a fitting climax.
All four artists played a significant role in making this
show a worthwhile investment, not only in modest financial terms but a desire
not to let slumber win and bravely support live music at its grass roots. It
was a pleasure to catch up with Carly Dow after enjoying her music from a
distance and hopefully the development as an overseas touring artist will
blossom alongside her mantle on the Canadian circuit. For MC Hansen the
association is a little closer to home and a timely reminder to how the power
of music can unite a continent in uncertain times.
www.mchansen.com
