Review: Whitevibe.com
Quay Arts Centre, Isle of Wight, 2006

I had the pleasure of meeting the members of the band at their soundcheck and managed to squeeze a few words from them afterwards, as they muched on their pre-gig meals.

Uiscedwr, means water, in Irish and Welsh, and is pronounces ish-ka-dooer. Cormac Byrne, the fantastically talented percussionist is Irish and Anna Esslemont with the sweet vocals hails from Wales. So they are sure about this fact!

By the way, Kevin Dempsey the wonderous guitarist is from Coventry, and has musical credential others merely dream of. (You can look up more facts on the whole band on their website).

I listened to why they were chosen as the winners of the 2002 Radio 2 Young Folk Award and it became instantly, blatantly obvious. This is a highly professional band, the soundcheck was meticulous, with every nuance in sound exactly catered for.

"Hello Jim" was an interestingly different take on the usual "one two one TWO-TWO!" mic level check.

Anna's flying fiddle, (and her insistence that the resounding feed back from Cormac's drums was sorted, and rightly so), Cormac's vast array of percussion even using his "seat" as a drum, (Cajon box) and a toilet brush…. as well as Kevin's guitar, started completely and utterly in time with each other and knitted tightly together, even in the soundcheck. The rapport between them all is obvious.

I was already impressed.

Kevin's voice was unusually soothing in the soundcheck, he completely took me away from the Quay Arts Centre, evoking a place somewhere else, and Anna added her ethereal voice, to transport me even further away.

The sound of Anna's violin conjured up images of Arabia, and Russia, with hints of folk and jazz mixed altogether, and Cormac's Egyptian tabla added flavours completely unusual to the general folk mood I have been used to hearing.

Whilst eating their meal the three explain to me that Anna and Cormac met at the Royal Northern College of Music, Anna studying classical which she inevitably found restrictive, and Cormac world percussion. Only a year or so ago they met up with Kevin, who quite by chance was asked (as he thought) to accompany them on a couple of numbers, after becoming known to them through the Durham Summer School he teaches at, but ended up having to learn lots of "serious stuff", and completing the trio. One day's rehearsal was all that was needed before performing his first gig with them.

THAT is talent.

At the sold out Quay Arts gig, (another triumph for the Vaguely Sunny boys) they start the set with a song called "Not the Hurricane", specifically named because it was not the hurricane song… other songs include self-penned as well as covers played in their own inimitable style, one was about Anna's own father and would move a boulder to tears.

All through their set the band include complicated changes in time signatures, going fluidly from six time to seven time and back into four time without a hint of difficulty, I as a musician found this completely fascinating and inspiring.

This is NOT your usual didly idi music!

Anna's impish and amused glances after the first set of songs were in appreciation of long and loud applause, which she heartily deserved, she is one amazing fiddle player, moving from classical, to folk, to world scales, with distinct and utter well practiced ease. She moves those fingers so fast if you blinked you'd miss it.

Kevin's song about a woman's point of view, sung himself, was an interesting angle indeed, the storytelling aspect being carried forward to the enthralled audience, accompanied by Anna's enchanting harmonies, floating gently over his melody.

All three enjoy playing on tour, but the worst part is the driving, which they all share. As yet they do not have the luxury of a tour bus but I'm very sure this is imminent.

Anna didn't get her degree, but with such blossoming talent, who needs one?!

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