RACHEL HARRINGTON'S performance was introduced by the Arts Centre's events manager as being both a major scoop for the venue and for Southport. And he wasn't wrong. Rachel, who was accompanied by travelling companion and musical counterpart Zak Borden, left the 100 plus audience with little doubt that this was a truly special and intimate event, something unlikely be witnessed again at a low ticket price.
With the building success and critical acclaim of both her debut and most recent long players 'The Bootlegger's Daughter' & 'City of Refuge', this evening's session proved that a stripped down performance of both roots and Appalachian-inspired songs can hold an audience in its seats and engage them with a style of music rarely encountered in such a setting on this side of the Atlantic.
During the hour long set, Rachel played songs from both LPS, providing a mixture of self-penned compositions and new interpretations of her contempories, nipping adroitly between Gospel and murder ballads, through to personal reflections. Her soft voice and flowing guitar accompanient were supported by Zak's mandolin playing, which weaved effortlessly and unobtrusively between the phrasing and passages of each song.
Zak provided the audience with 'Earl & Scruggs'-inspired songs, and spellbinding guitar playing while Rachel sang chorus harmonies. The two voices so different in style came together perfectly in the ambient setting of the Studio Gallery where the audience sat captivated during the intimate performances. This was further enhanced by the sound production in the venue, which both artists commented on as being excellent.
In between numbers, whilst positioning alternate tunings, the audience were entertained with on the road anecdotes about local accents, roundabouts, and guest houses during their travels around the U.K & Europe over the last three months. A genuine goodtime banter between the two was apparent and both Rachel & Zak came across as thoroughly enjoying their time on stage.
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Particular highlights of the evening were songs from her most recent longplayer 'City of Refuge'. The first was 'Carver' which was performed beautifully with haunting vocals. It was followed by 'I Don't Want to Get Ddjusted to this World' and 'Under the Big Top', which was magnificent in it's simplicity. An adaptation of the Mississippi John Hurt song 'Louis Collins' and 'Up the River' from Laura Vere's debut album, were both treated to beautiful original, interpretations. The set concluded with a rousing rendition of Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode to Billy Joe' followed by one of Zak's songs 'Some Old Day' and an emotive ending courtesy of a cover of Steve Earle's 'Goodbye', all of which had the captivated audience singing along.
The evening ended with a meet'n'greet opportunity with both Rachel & Zak at the marketing stall and then Southport was once more the seaside town it always was, only touched by a little Americana. This was the last scheduled show of Rachel Harrington's UK tour and the next time she drops in a venue this small would not contain the growing following & acclaim she's picking up at every show along her way. We were thankful to have caught this rising star in such intimate surroundings before her journey continues. As it surely will.
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