“An honest and beautiful take on folk music” were words used to welcome Bella Hardy on stage at London’s Cecil Sharp House. A fitting introduction for this award-winning artist whose gorgeous set of old and new songs captivated her audience on the night, serving as a reminder of what a talented performer and songwriter she is.
The show was the last of an acoustic tour supporting the 2017 album Hey Sammy, reviewed by Folk Radio UK here. This time, however, Hardy was without her band, saying she “wanted to come out again on her own, to share how the songs sound when they get written – the crazy original versions” as she warmly referred to them as. Stripped of the slick production and instrumentation heard on the album, the evening brought into focus arguably her greatest asset, a captivatingly emotive voice.
With nine studio albums to her name, Hardy has built a strong catalogue of work resulting in a reputation as one of the most respected women of contemporary Folk music. Hey Sammy has a more mainstream sound to earlier records blending elements of pop, folk and rock with greater introspective writing. It drew inspiration from her recent worldwide travels, including a musical residency at The British Council in China and time in Nashville. There is a sense of artistic freedom that shines through the record as she approaches topics such as feminism and post-referendum Britain through the lens of her own experience.
The first song of the night, Good Man’s Wife from the 2014 album Battleplan is a popular opener for Hardy, and this retelling of the Raggle Taggle Gypsies was an emotional beginning, showcasing clear immaculate vocals over sparse plucked fiddle notes. This excellent start, followed with a playful commentary concerning the moral of the song “don’t fall in love for money, and don’t fall for good-looking singers”, both having the potential to end in trouble apparently!
Hardy has always had the ability to interpret other people’s songs well, evident in the high energy delivery of Scottish band Gnoss’s song Waterbound. Then, after an enjoyable rendition of her song Sleeping Beauty, came the first track of the evening from Hey Sammy – You Don’t Owe the World Pretty, dedicated to singer Findlay Napier’s daughter and written after becoming “bamboozled” by the stereotype-based branding apparent whilst shopping for a present. The dedication of the song was extended to “women all over” which was greeted with a cheer and ignited the crowd’s mood for the rousing traditional song – My Johnny was a Shoemaker.
The Telegraph, last year voted Another Whisky Song from her album With The Dawn one of the best songs ever written about Whisky, and this version was hauntingly atmospheric. Her fiddle’s bow quivered achingly over the strings accentuating the sadness of the lyrics, proving why it’s so worthwhile seeing artists live. Probably the best insight of the night into what she meant about hearing the original versions. The song merged into Wide River to Cross, written for the late Levon Helm before Hardy’s fiddle was rested for In my Dreams, switching to the warm tone and depth of the harmonium.
Two new songs written whilst living in Nashville were introduced, the first came with a caveat of being “a bit saucy” – joking that at the age of 34, it was fine to sing such a song as long as she didn’t play it too near her mum’s house, a dialogue met with heartfelt laughter.
The new material indicated a soulful direction to her work, built around her trademark soaring vocals she allowed her voice to hang longer in the higher octaves building drama into a chorus and several key lines. Maybe Americana will be the next genre for Hardy to explore?
As the concert drew to a close we had three more songs from Hey Sammy: Queen of Carter’s Bar (a re-working of the supernatural ballad Tam Lin), Redemption and Stars all of which were impeccable and a joy in their acoustic form. Also, there was a glimpse of one of Hardy’s earlier influences, a response to a song by wartime singer Vesta Tiley’s – Jolly Good Luck to the Girl Who Loves a Soldier.
It’s hard to choose a highlight of the evening given how diverse and varied the set was, but a standout has to be The Trawlerman’s wife. A song recorded almost ten years ago provided a parallel of eerily lingering fiddle notes and outstanding vocals. It was Hardy at her folk best!
Almost a year since the release of Hey Sammy no one would begrudge Hardy’s ambition to develop her sound and audience, but at the same time, it was reassuring to find her folk roots well-watered. In the end, the singer from Edale in Derbyshire brimmed with appreciation and thanked the audience for coming to see a ‘fiddle singer’, sharing a moment of self-doubt admitting she’d worried about being away from the comfort of her band. But any such thoughts were unfounded, as Hey Sammy acoustically was a revelation, and the carefully considered set well thought through and extremely well received.
A wonderful concert which left us all well entertained and looking forward to what comes next from Bella Hardy.