This evening’s show saw your reviewer return to the Newbald Village Hall for the second of this year’s early evening concert event, which, despite the start time of 4.30 pm being well advertised, still managed to cause some confusion amongst the local congregation. The hall itself was looking resplendent with the newly acquired curtain now in situ behind the stage, marking the completion of the recent renovations which included a new air-con system and, as local promoter John Tomlinson informed us, (tongue-in-cheek), more lights on the stage than Heathrow currently had working on its runways (ouch!).
The evening saw the return of the Lincoln-based duo The Rye Sisters, consisting of Sue Pomeroy on guitar and vocals and Ishani Siriwardena on violin and vocals, who had performed at this venue last year to support the Weeping Willows. Their reappearance now as the headline act is, in many ways, a testament to how far the duo has come since the release of their excellent sophomore album, ‘Distant Light’ which was released at the end of 2023. Most of last year was spent promoting the album, touring the length and breadth of the country as well as performing at numerous festivals.
The first of two sets got underway at the very civilised time of 5.00pm, with the duo immediately paying homage to one of their greatest influences as they opened with a cover of the Gillian Welch classic ‘I Want To Sing That Rock and Roll’ that first appeared on Welch’s ‘Time (The Revelator)’. The sublime vocal harmonies that have become such a trademark of the duo’s creative work instantly kicked in, holding the audience in the palm of their hand as they moved into the second number, another cover, this time by James Taylor and his seminal recording ‘Sweet Baby James’. At this point, the duo turned the spotlight onto their own most recent release with the two songs that opened the album starting with ‘Stuck In A Jam’, with its lazy beat and exquisite harmonies supplemented by some delightful violin from Siriwardena, followed by the edgy ‘Its Just The Wine Talking’, the duo taking it in turn to take the vocal lead, with Pomeroy’s guitar playing offering the perfect conduit to the subtly sinister narrative, while Siriwardena again adds the tension through the strings of her violin. The first number from their debut album ‘Brave Unbeaten Paths’, which saw the light of day in 2017, followed with ‘Under A Stormy Sky’ delivered here with lashings of ‘French dressing’ that the song’s writer, the legendary producer Daniel Lanois, would surely have approved. The remainder of the first set saw a return to their sophomore release and a delightful rendition of ‘Capture The Moon‘, positioned between a run of covers that included a stunning version of Sarah Jorez’s ‘Undercurrent‘, the (Dixie) Chicks’ ‘Truth # 2’, and Rhiannon Giddens ‘Up Above My Head’, complete with some enthusiastic audience participation.
After the obligatory interval that allowed the locals to refresh their glasses and take advantage of the wares available on the merchandise stand, the second set got underway with the duo’s interpretation of ‘Let It Be Me’ which had been a hit in the early sixties for the ultimate harmony act, the Everly Brothers. One of the highlights from ‘Distant Light’ came next with the achingly beautiful ‘Waverley Station’, Siriwardena taking the lead on a song whose narrative reminds us that we “can never go back”, no matter how strong the pull of fond memories, nothing is ever the same, and to preserve those memories the past must remain where it belongs. It is truly a wonderful song, wonderfully performed.
Having said that, there is time to revisit the past with a song that Pomeroy had written before forming the Rye Sisters with Siriwardena, entitled ‘I Sing’ a jaunty number that appeared on their debut album. There would be three more songs from the most recent album starting with the uptempo ‘Dirt On My Guitar’ followed by the rather unseasonably titled instrumental ‘Christmas Eve Is Coming’ which allowed the duo to stretch out musically and ‘It’s My Lazy Day’, an old 1940s number by country singer and comedic actor Smiley Burnett.
Throughout the evening’s show, the duo’s rapport with the audience was warm and relaxed while their almost telepathic onstage interaction and sublime vocals are the product of almost ten years working together. However, hard work and dedication come at a price and the success of the most recent album and the commitment to promote and tour the album through a large part of last year had not been without its challenges as Pomeroy explained to the locals that this year the duo will endeavour to re-focus on a better “family and work/life balance, whatever that is”, with far less touring as they turn they attention to writing new songs for their next album.
Another of the duo’s main influences are the Secret Sisters’ and two of their songs feature towards the end of the second set, firstly with a delightful retelling of ‘King Cotton’ and then ‘He’s Fine’, before closing the evening’s proceeding with a rousing rendition of Melanie’s 70s hit ‘Look What They’ve Done To My Song Ma’ with the local congregation requiring little if any encouragement to lend their voices. Needless to say the raucous demands from the audience for an encore were duly obliged with another all-time classic in ‘Love Hurts’, which again enticed all in the room to sing along, proving that the Rye Sisters are now very much a headline act, and I for one can’t wait for the next album.
