The autumn gig thread of likeminded Scottish folk music added an extra notch this evening as Salt House popped into the West Midlands for a show in the final throes of a short UK tour. The original thread was due to start and end with solo shows from Hannah Rarity and Jenny Sturgeon interspersed with catching the trio formats of Karine Polwart and Siobhan Miller as they passed through Birmingham. One current link between this quartet and Salt House is that Jenny Sturgeon is the third member of that trio alongside guitar/vocalist/songwriter Ewan MacPherson and fiddle player/vocalist Lauren MacColl. A more distant connection unearthed from delving into Salt House's back catalogue revealed Siobhan Miller providing the lead vocals on a 2013 album.
You start to get the picture that a certain scene in Scotland is highly collaborative as they all strive to the same end of framing folk music in its twin posture of capturing the past through song and projecting issues of the day forward in the sense that future generations will pick them up. Salt House meet these ideals in a concoction of meticulously curated traditional songs and self-written originals sharing their take on the world around them.
Like so much of this scene exported south of the border, the quality of musicianship and vocal prowess is exceptional. Salt House are key exponents of this without a doubt. Jenny Sturgeon is the most gorgeous of vocalists and the ideal scenic purveyor of the world around her through the magic of song. That world is based in the Shetlands but expands to many other areas, mainly dotted around the north of Scotland. In fact, her solo show that completes this autumn thread is a presentation of the Cairngorms through the words of Nan Shepherd channelled via the superb Jenny Sturgeon album of 2020 - THE LIVING MOUNTAIN.
However her vocals, harmonium and guitar playing are just one component of Salt House's artistry. To her left is the divine violin playing of Lauren MacColl. Such texture, depth and motion came from the fiddle and the bow, executed perfectly on cue to either rouse or serenade the songs. The set up is completed by Ewan MacPherson on twin guitars - acoustic grace from the traditional and some delicate twang from the Gretsch. His vocals complement on tone and pitch as well as leading on several numbers. The original content seemed to generally trace back to his writing as exemplified by a song inspired by the lockdown necessity of finding work in planting trees to fill the gig void.
Lockdown is also a driver to the next Salt House release. The WORKING FOR ZEUS EP is due out in December and defied the laws of dodgy north of Scotland broadband as the trio had to work virtually conjuring up five songs to keep the Salt House wheels turning. Many of the songs dealt to a Midlands audience this evening came from this in addition to the twin source of 2020's HUAM and going a back a couple of years further UNDERSONG from 2017.
This evening's show was brought by the Thimblemill Library team who had to hastily find another venue in the area for a Friday night gig. The nearby library has hosted many wonderful well attended evenings over the last few years and the good news is that Jenny Sturgeon's solo show is set to resume there in November. However for one night The Bear Tavern gratefully provided a platform for Salt House to share their wares with an audience at least hearty in song. Joining the two sets delivered by the trio was a local singer-songwriter going by the name King of Spain, who kindly accepted the invite to play a few tunes in the opener role.
The world of discovery shows no sign of abating. Salt House dipped into the earthy suburb of Bearwood, while those in attendance let their minds drift far north for a couple of hours in the presence of three highly accomplished artists. It may have been the prelude to Jenny Sturgeon's 2021 association with the West Midlands, but it was ultimately the night Salt House connected with a few more folks on their long and winding journey. Travelling musicians and inquisitive gig goers can ask for no more.
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