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Review: Simpson, Kerr & Cutting, The Lantern
The Lantern was pretty packed for Wednesday night’s performance by Martin Simpson, Nancy Kerr and Andy Cutting. The trio – Simpson on guitar and banjo, Kerr on fiddle and Cutting on the accordion – are without question some of the finest musicians on the English folk circuit; this being the case it would have been good to see a few more younger faces amongst the predominantly silver-haired crowd, although Simpson himself quipped that he was a bit ‘elderly’ (I daren’t hazard a guess at his age, but I wouldn’t presume to put him in the pension posse).
The repertoire was a mixture of traditional English songs and Americana. The stories behind the songs were at least as engaging as the songs themselves, although sometimes Simpson did get so caught up in tuning a misbehaving banjo that he lost the thread of what he was saying. But what did come through, from all three lovely (and very talkative) performers, was a distinct undercurrent of political and social commentary which made a traditional art form extremely current.
For instance, Nancy Kerr sang several of her own compositions, some unexpectedly beautiful songs about fracking (she’s not a fan), urban bees (who make ‘Dark Honey’ after foraging in discarded Coca Cola cans instead of flowers) and the Orlando shootings – this last was a song she’d written for her ‘trans friends’, as she put it, and was based on the selkie of Scottish folklore – a creature who is human on the land and a seal in the water, thus turning the old folklore into an anthem for anyone who feels they are pressured into hiding their true essence.
is needed now More than ever
Simpson took the opportunity to sing about his distaste for pheasant shooting (he’s not a fan) and the landed gentry, telling us that each year 35 million pheasants are raised just for the purpose of shooting, and most of their bodies thrown to waste; and his bitter complaints about government subsidies to landowners who allow grouse shooting and its deleterious environmental effects. His complaints elicited spontaneous applause from the audience.
Cutting remained quiet until around three-quarters of the way through the show, at which point he chimed in with some highly amusing commentaries, and a gorgeous waltz that he’d composed himself. (Did you know that an accordion can only be tuned to one key? Neither did I, but that’s why he had no less than four – in four different keys – on stage with him.)
In terms of musicianship these three – separately and together – are amongst the best there is, and they bring a rare currency to the genre that’s a joy to behold. Do go and see them if you get the chance.
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