Gig Review: Michell, Pfeiffer and Kulesh - Kitchen Garden, Kings Heath, Birmingham. Sunday 20th July 2025

 

Songs sans frontiers; a motto embedded deep into the heart of Michell, Pfeiffer and Kulesh. Three musicians of varying background seeing language as an enabler not a barrier, and a common bond of decency, liberty and celebratory song. Trio is a long adapted format in folk, roots and popular music. The key is to complement with a difference. Here Karen Pfeiffer is the theatrical dramatist adding layers of flute playing while exploiting an Anglo German background. Daria Kulesh portrays an expressive emotive demeanour from a central stage position providing an alternative slant on a Russian heritage away from the current narrative. Odette Michell exudes the calm poise of an English folkie using finely tuned vocals and deft guitar playing to stir an international pot. Together they grace many a stage winning friends and illuminating rooms. 

The trio play the Kitchen Garden to a tee, embracing the surroundings and engaging the audience with bundles of participation. Fun blends with poignancy; stories mingle with irreverence. Traditional and original songs share the platform. A togetherness spills from the stage with a sense of individuality retained. All three have thriving careers outside the trio and this filters into a two-set evening. 

Odette Michell has the latest album out with copies shifting quickly from the merch table. THE QUEEN OF THE LOWLANDS is barely a month old yet drawing acclaim from the folk world. Its winning formula of original songs sounding like traditional standards comes across in the two songs she adds to the Birmingham setlist. These include the album title track with its heart warming story and ‘Flowers’ a co-write with Kulesh. The pair often work together away from the trio and previously lived in neighbouring locations.

Daria Kulesh has the most past association with the Kitchen Garden regularly bringing her international Christmas show to the venue each January in line with orthodox tradition. It was hard to look past her song ‘The Moon and the Pilot’ as the evening’s most inspiring moment with its twist of Soviet repression, regional resistance and ultimate triumph providing a backdrop to a true story regarding her grandparents. Musically, Kulesh uses the shruti box for effect and extracts rhythm from the bodhran. Frequent dips into Russian lyrics and other voices from the Caucuses spice up the vocals. You can't fail warming to an infectious personality and a unique take on music.

Karen Pfeiffer is known on the folk circuit for her duo act with husband Paul Walker. The theme regularly calls on the twin locations of Stuttgart and Stoke on Trent with the latter’s industrial past reflected in her own composition ‘Golden Age’. This singalong keeper was the most animated part of the setlist and like many of the trio’s songs focusses on issues of pride and solidarity all wrapped in a style gifted to an audience for enjoyment. Pfeiffer calls on an array of flutes dependent on tenor, bass and alto requirements increasing the eclectic mix of the instrumentation.

When dipping into the vast traditional song well, smart choices are made. Either side of the 'nod and a wink' final song, two popular choices filled the air with grace and communality. ‘Where Have All the Flowers Gone’ will be sung for eternity and if there’s a more evocative version of ‘Those Were The Days’ than this multi-lingual melange, it has yet to surface. Completing a trio of singalong favourites was ‘Bella Ciao,' this time adding Italian to a language melting pot of German, Russian and English. A rousing performance of a gutsy song. 

Pfeiffer’s homeland featured in the show opener ‘My Love’s in Germany’ with an early stamp on addressing issues that continue to scar the world. Compassion and resilience is all around and exemplified further in the kindness of ‘Pockets Were Empty’. Most of the songs are scattered across solo records and the debut Michell, Pfeiffer & Kulesh album released in the summer of 2024. 

The success of this Birmingham performance lay in three strands: sparkling collaborations, an appealing blend of languages and three artists skilled at conveying a musical nous to appreciative audiences. The trio of Michell, Pfeiffer and Kulesh doesn’t have the opportunity to play together that often, making each event a special occasion. It was a pleasure to be in their presence for a fabulous display of international music on a night where any perceived borders were torn down. 

Gig Review: Boo Hewardine and Yvonne Lyon (Things Found in Books) - Thimblemill Library, Smethwick. Friday 18th July 2025

 

www.thingsfoundinbooks.com

 

Not every show on this tour can be hosted by a library but when so, an extra sparkle enters the room. The fit was obvious when Boo Hewardine and Yvonne Lyon’s Things Found in Books touring project secured a slot at Thimblemill Library. A project born in lockdown coming to fruition five years later with a record, a book and a run of gigs the length of the land. Urban festivals have helped bring the performance to the Midlands with the twelve-day Lichfield event staging a show last week and now the turn of the Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival to add this intriguing evening to a vast array of music events across the West Midlands. You could argue in the ‘spirit of San Francisco’ that the festival is ‘hardly strictly jazz and blues’ but there were no arguments to its artistic quality when two exceptional singer-songwriters stopped off in the borough of Sandwell to share their story songs and a little bit more.

The idea was spawned when Yvonne Lyon came across a notice board in Culzean Castle’s second bookshop displaying items left between the pages of books donated for reuse. Scraps of informative paper, photographs and small fragments of literally anything each told a story and proved rich pickings for a songwriter searching inspiration. Though an esteemed songwriter herself with a large body of work in the vault, Scottish-based Lyon felt this would provide the fruit for a collaboration with English songwriting extraordinaire Boo Hewardine. Good things come over time and folks can now enjoy the double strand of interesting stories and prime songs.

After a run of full band shows, Thimblemill Library reorientated its adaptable performing space to house a smaller stage ample for a duo on keyboards and guitar. Boo Hewardine is no stranger to the venue, while Yvonne Lyon is far from a familiar name in the area. This degree of awareness didn’t matter as the pair gelled from the start performing two lengthy sets of songs impeccably played, immaculately sung, entertainingly introduced and engagingly received; all the recipes for a successful evening.

The first half saw most, if not all, of the album played. The stories behind the songs are what makes them special, hence the importance of the book. The pair exchanged lead vocals on titles such as ‘Marion and Sydney’, ‘Salvadore Dali and Me’, ‘Montepellier’ and ‘Paul McCartney in 1970’. One different mode of delivery saw Hewardine narrate a letter from the King dated 1919. One voice and Lyon’s understated keyboard playing brought the contents to life. The interval was reached with universal applause, a rush for the merch table and the promise of the ‘hits’ in the second half.

Perhaps it is not seeing much of Yvonne Lyon live that elevated the remainder of the show to one of supreme enjoyment. She shared a handful of songs from a back catalogue including the popular ‘Everything’s Fine’ , the feisty ‘Tell It Like It Is’, the hugely engaging ‘Sail On’ and the utterly adorable ‘Enjoy Not Endure’. Singalongs needed little prompt and the Scottish lilt to the vocals adds a layer of warm assurance. When the Things Found in Books project runs its course, there is a definite space for Yvonne Lyon to fill evenings down south more with her affable demeanour and gracious style of fine music. 

Boo Hewardine brought his usual straight man humour to the house, built for bonding in the duo format. Apart from his usual array of brilliantly constructed songs including the ‘hit’ Patience of Angels, there was a twist in covering ‘What a Beautiful World’, totally random but a timely reminder. There have been many Boo Hewardine collaborations over the years with Brooks Williams, Jenny Sturgeon and Heidi Talbot immediately springing to mind. His liaison with Yvonne Lyon is up there with the best and maybe ripe for something else in the future.

The Birmingham Jazz and Blues Festival is now in its 41st year. A commendable run for an event mixing free and ticketed events extending from the city to the neighbouring boroughs of Sandwell and Solihull. Many genres of music are incorporated with a string of fine accessible shows attended over the years. The arts programme of Thimblemill Library is made for such participation and the decision to stage Things Found in Books proved a wise choice as exemplified by a healthy turnout and an appreciative response. Boo Hewardine will no doubt return to the area in some form or another, and it would be good to see Yvonne Lyon do likewise. In the meantime, when perusing books in libraries, charity shops and second hand stores, stay alert for what may be lurking. Stories can appear anywhere and in any form.