Music / The Rails
Review: The Rails, Thekla
The Rails is a band with a good pedigree: it’s composed of Kami Thompson, daughter or Linda and Richard Thompson, and James Walbourne, frequent guitar player with the Pretenders and Ray Davies. Their acclaimed 2014 album Fair Warning led them to win prizes such as Best Newcomer BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and Mojo’s Folk Album of the Year. Yet the duo, also an item in life, didn’t want the second album to be in line with the first one. It was the right time for them to experiment with some added electricity to sound less like 70s folk music. All of this is very promising for their show at Thekla tonight.
There is a certain theme which resurfaces particularly in their lyrics: the gentrification of their beloved town of London. For that matter they opened the set with The Cally, a powerful ballade with echoes of Celtic music and harmonies, which relates the stories of the pub and its clients then frequented by James’ grandfather before the advent of middle-class. It’s a judicious choice of song to get the ball rolling, unsurprisingly captivating the attention of the sparse crowd.
It’s obvious that the duo has great chemistry that goes beyond the stage. They are complementary of each other, Kami being quite reserved and stoic with an extravagant James jumping around everywhere on stage; a bit of yin and yang to achieve the perfect balance. Kami’s voice can shine on Hanging On, showcasing her accuracy as much as her sensibility. Other People sees the two joining together as a strong unite force to do what they do best now, a great blend of folky voices and voltage blasts or “folk on steroids” as they would call it themselves.
is needed now More than ever
With the song Brick and Mortar, the gentrification theme re-enter the fray. Kami and James ask themselves if they will still be able to afford living in their town while they watch their favourite neighbourhoods turn into something trendy and their pubs of choice close their doors. Social housings are razed to the ground to be substituted by luxury apartments. The band share their frustration and confusion with the crowd with this rallying cry which reminds of the Pogues at times. It’s refreshing to see those two musicians together, James not at all intimidated by Kami’s impressive lineage and their harmonies, perfectly controlled, complements one another with grace. The whole set is a treat and time literally flies – it always does when having a good time. Tonight’s show leaves the audience wondering what they will be up to next. And it’s difficult to hold back the excitement.
Our top newsletters emailed directly to you
