Andy Watkins has been promoting folk music in and around Lincoln for close on fifty years and in recent times has found the perfect venue in the Nettleham Village Hall where, along with the support of his wife Marianne and a small band of diligent volunteers, he has brought some of the finest exponents of their art for the local congregation to enjoy. It is though, unlikely that any who have trodden these boards before have garnered and been worthy of the accolades and critical praise as the duo on stage this evening, with the hall buzzing with excitement and anticipation for a show that saw the sold-out sign go up weeks ago.
Chris While and Julie Matthews are celebrating thirty years as collaborators having so far recorded, to my count, thirteen studio albums, and performed over three thousand gigs, not to mention all their side projects such as Daphne’s Flight and St Agnes Fountain. To commemorate the occasion they have a new album, released just last week, entitled “Days Like These”, not a retrospective offering, or a greatest hits (sic) but rather twelve brand new songs that epitomises the duo’s ethos of never resting on their laurels. For them it is not yesterday’s achievements, but today’s ambitions that are paramount and tonight the audience were to be treated to almost every track from the new record.
The first four numbers from the night’s opening set included three from “Days Like These”, starting with the joyous ‘Good Intentions’ that immediately had the crowd rocking in their seats with its fist pumping chorus and infectious melody instantly cementing the song in the subconscious. ‘I Will Carry You’, was another new number, written by Matthews, about the recent passing of her father and the realisation that eventually we all become orphans. However, despite the sadness, this was still a song of celebration and love that immediately connected with the audience thanks in part to Matthews’ impassioned delivery. The other new song from the opening quartet was ‘Trusted Mistrusted’, a song inspired by the recent Post Office scandal with Matthews’ mandolin playing helping to create an americana vibe for this tale of such appalling injustice. In-between these new songs the duo played ‘Crow’, a number that first appeared on the album “Women Of The World” that came out in 2022, as did the fifth number of the night ‘Starfish Thrower’, another song that has quickly become a crowd favourite, requiring little encouragement to sing-along with the chorus, and proving themselves to be in good voice.
The next song in the evening’s performance was the opening track from the new album, entitled ‘Kalamazoo’. Now, as all respectable guitar aficionados know, Kalamazoo in Michigan was the home for many years to the legendary Gibson guitar factory. During the Second World War Gibson denied building any guitars between 1942 and 1945, claiming “only seasoned craftsmen, too old for war were carrying out repairs”, where in reality seventy women were walking through the doors of the Gibson factory, building nearly 25,000 guitars from rationed materials during this period. Why on earth Gibson felt the need to try and eradicate these women from its history has long since been deleted but a recent book written by John Thomas entitled “Kalamazoo Gals: A Story Of Extraordinary Woman & Gibson’s Banner Guitars of WWII”, finally gave these women their voice, shining a light on their skills at building guitars that today are recognised by many players and collectors to represent Gibson’s zenith. Needless to say, While and Matthews have taken this story and created a song that is an instant classic. Truly anthemic. Three more new numbers followed, starting with ‘King Of Sheds’, followed by ‘Our Corner Of The World’, which saw While deliver some exquisite vocals with Matthews at the piano before the title track ‘Days Like These’. brought the first set to a close.
The second set began with the title track to their 2022 album“Women Of The World” with Matthews proving you can play the piano and harmonica at the same time, before continuing with another run of songs from the latest release. First up was ‘Lucky Day’ that featured some lovely melodic guitar playing from While which was quickly followed by ‘Come To Me’. Here While performed seated, an Appalachian Dulcimer on her lap, an instrument she was inspired to buy having first heard her idol Joni Mitchell playing, and in truth, there was just a slight hint of ‘A Case Of You’, resonating in the ether. The closing track to the new album came next. Titled ’30 Years Along’, the song required little explanation, and is one of the few occasions on the album where the duo reflect on their journey together, with Matthews’ narrative and the duo’s harmonies capturing much of the alchemic chemistry that has seen them crowned, “undisputed queens of British folk music”. The stunning ‘Blood Red Moon’, which again featuring some beautiful vocals from While, was the last of the new tracks for this evening but there had still been time to intersperse a few songs from their back catalogue, including ‘The Skin That I’m In’, originally from the 2016 album “Shoulder To Shoulder”, and ‘Brucciani’s Cafe from the 2001 album “Quest”. The latter was chosen by fans through the duo’s social media page with the narrative revolving around While’s adolescent years, and her love of ‘Northern Soul’ music. After a slight false start for a little re-tuning of the guitar, While took the audience on a trip of musical nostalgia, weaving lines from such soul classics as ‘Save A Little Prayer’, ‘Midnight Hour’, ‘Dock Of The Bay’, and ‘Rescue Me’, into her story of growing up in Barrow-on-Furnace.
‘If This Were Your Last Day’ seemed a fitting number to bring the second set to a close, though from the roisterous response from the packed hall, there was no way the duo were going to be alloowd to leave without an encore, to which they duly obliged, with a gorgeous rendition of ‘Hollow Days’.
While and Matthews maybe celebrating thirty years as a duo but they show no signs of slowing down. The material from the new album suggests, that if anything they are still improving, still pushing forward, still hungry for the next challenge, the next story to tell, whether that be performing, writing or recording. It seems almost a slight to call them a ‘National Treasure’, but in many ways they have rightfully earned that accolade, and though this tour is a celebration of thirty years past, it is also a tour about the present, promoting a new album, and the future, displaying a hunger that continues to keep them, not just relevant, but still leading the field among British singer songwriters. What more could you ask for? Well, I suppose we could ask for another thirty years? What do you say ladies?
