With the clocks now moved to winter time, the journey from my home in Lincoln to the county’s premier americana music venue, the Town Hall at Kirton in Lindsey, was made under the blanket of night, and though the rain that had fallen for much of the day had abated, the spray from other vehicles that constantly covered my windscreen made for a less than enjoyable commute. However, any pessimistic thoughts due to the weather were quickly banished by the excitement and anticipation for the night’s concert and the return to the hallowed boards for two artists who completely lit up the stage on their last visit, some eighteen months ago.
Alice Howe and Freebo have been described as a unique study in contrast, as they bring together a rising star in americana music and a venerable rock and blues icon who, in equal measure, lead and support each other in their well-crafted songs, flawless harmonies, and tasteful instrumentation. Howe has been building a reputation over the last few years as one of America’s finest singer-songwriters, with the natural, unaffected beauty of her voice and her emotionally resonant singing, drawn from the traditional roots music that shaped her. Freebo is a legendary bassist, best known for his decade of touring and recording with Bonnie Raitt. Over the years, he has established himself as one of the great fretless bass players and has played on classic albums by artists such as CSN, Ringo Starr, and Neil Young.
Tonight was the duo’s third performance at ‘Town Hall Live’, coming at the end of a two-month stint playing across Europe, having started in Italy at the fine city of Verona towards the end of September and teaching songwriting at ‘Song Camp Europe.’ From there, their tour took them through Spain, the Netherlands, Germany and Denmark before arriving in the UK for a short run of shows, of which this evening will be the fourth last, after which they will head back to the States for another month’s worth of gigs, followed by a well-earned break.
The evening’s performance was split into two sets, the first opening with ‘Twilight’, a song that originally appeared on Howe’s debut album “Visions” that saw the light of day in 2019. Immediately, the warmth of Howe’s voice drew tonight’s congregation in close, hanging on her every word, while Freebo’s subtle fretless bass playing added a deft touch of colour to the sparse arrangement. The following two numbers again originated from Howe’s back catalogue, this time from her more recent album “Circumstances” that came out in 2023, beginning with the impassioned ‘Somebody’s New Lover Now’, where Howe’s vocals again shone, singing with eyes closed, as if caught up in the emotion of the song as she strummed her acoustic guitar. The other song from her latest studio album was the wonderfully atmospheric ‘Something Calls To Me’, which saw some dazzling bass playing from Freebo, providing ample evidence, if evidence was needed, of his reputation on the five-string version of the instrument.
At this point in the first set, the duo swapped instruments, with Howe taking over on bass duties, though one can only imagine how daunting a task this must feel, given what had just gone before. Apparently, Freebo felt it was only fair, having supplied bass for Howe’s songs, the least she could do was reciprocate, though at the time she had never played bass before. Clearly a natural musician, Howe looked like she’d been playing the instrument all her life and, along with her sublime harmonies, supported Freebo through a run of four of his best loved songs, including such crowd favourites as ‘She’s My Personal G.P.S.’, ‘To The Light’ and the hilarious ‘She Loves My Dog More Than Me’, complete with vocal contributions from the enthusiastic crowd.
With no current studio album to promote from either artist, a live album was released earlier this year. However, any thoughts that tonight’s show would simply replicate that offering had been extinguished early in the set, with many songs appearing in a different order, and before the interval, Howe treated the audience to a brand-new song, which just might have been the highlight of the show. Howe had lost her father at a relatively young age, and he had clearly been a strong and guiding influence on her younger years, which she related to in her introduction to ‘Forever Is A Long Long Time’. Sung with an emotive passion that can only come from the heart, her soulful vocals rarely sounded so good or connected so intensely with an audience that was clearly deeply moved, roaring their approval as the final notes faded. If this is the quality of writing coming from Howe’s pen, then the new album can’t come quickly enough. The duo followed this with the poignant ‘With You By My Side’, which felt both the perfect companion piece and also the perfect way to end the first half of the night’s performance.
The obligatory interval saw both artists at the merchandise table, conversing with many of the audience who were taking the opportunity to purchase from a selection of CDs on offer and have their new wares personally signed before the second half of the evening’s performance got underway.
Returning to the stage, Howe and Freebo kicked off the second set in a fashion similar to the first, with Howe offering up three songs, which included the excellent ‘Your Love Is The Flame’, another new number that suggests an extra maturity in her writing, along with the infectious ‘What About You’. The other track was a cover of the Bob Dylan classic ‘Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright’ that Howe had included on her debut album and has since become a staple of the live shows. The following number was a something of a surprise, and possibly a newer number to their set list, with an excellent rendition of Steve Van Zandt’s ‘I Am A Patriot’, a song he had first written back in the 1980s with his band The Disciples Of Soul, during Ronald Reagan’s tenure in the White House. Howe explained during the introduction how she had discovered this song through Jackson Browne’s version, which he had included on his 1989 album “World In Motion”, and during these strange times, the song’s message certainly contains a renewed relevance, one that wasn’t lost on either artist, their voices resonating with a controlled passion against the sagacious narrative.
Together, on stage, Howe and Freebo are the perfect fit. Opposites in so many ways, and yet a juxtaposition that benefits both, with the relaxed, natural dialogue between the two never sounding contrived or forced, generating a warmth that emanates around the hall. Freebo, with a career that covers almost seven decades, brings a breadth of experience few anywhere can match, with more than enough stories to fill a pretty hefty book, which is what he is currently working on when not out on the road. Doubtless, amongst his many tales will be those of his good friend and legendary guitarist with Little Feat, the late Lowell George, and the following song from the evening’s show was ‘Sailin’ Shoes’, a cover of the title track to the band’s seminal 1972 album, delivered with just the right mix of reverence and interpretation.
From here, the duo shifted through the gears as Freebo led off with the clarion call that is the title track to his 2015 album “If Not Now When”, while Howe weaved Earle Green and Carl Montgomery’s classic ‘Six Days On The Road’ between the verses. The two songs melded together into one glorious and raucous slice of rhythm and blues as the audience howled their approval. There was still time for two more numbers, but with a distinct change of pace, with Freebo explaining how he had initially arranged a classic John Prine number so that he and Bonnie Raitt could play it live as a duo back in the seventies. Tonight, using that same arrangement but with Howe replacing Raitt, the similarities missed by no one, the duo delivered a sublime rendition of ‘Angel From Montgomery’. Howe’s delivery in particular inhabited the song, as if she had written this timeless classic herself. If that wasn’t enough to get the generously sized crowd within the hall emotionally invested, Howe then closed the set with her unique take on Joni Mitchell’s ‘A Case Of You’ that was simply faultless, the audience totally transfixed, until the final note faded into the ether, then as one, breaking into rapturous applause. Unsurprisingly, an encore was vociferously demanded and rewarded with the duo digging into Freebo’s back catalogue to perform ‘Sometimes It’s For Nothing’, a song he wrote back in the 1990s. Tonight, it was for a whole lot more than nothing; in fact, it was the summation of everything you could hope for in a great concert from a duo who, on this evidence, are at the top of their game.
