To quote directly from The Stoller Hall website... "Since the release of his debut album in 2005, Jim Causley’s unique voice and persona have helped him become one of the most well-loved and respected figures of today’s contemporary roots and folk music scene. A prolific collaborator, Causley is hugely admired for his work with iconic groups The Devil’s Interval and Mawkin: Causley as well as playing, touring and recording alongside Waterson: Carthy, John McCusker, Eddie Reader, Graham Coxson, Shirley Collins, Michael Morpurgo, Show of Hands, Kate Rusby, David Rotheray of Beautiful South fame and many more."... this was a build-up to a folk event I was truly looking forward to.
In reality however, I left extremely underwhelmed and disappointed. Causley is without doubt a unique entertainer, and his repertoire is interesting and contrasting. However, this evening's concert was (and I use this word in its more common meaning, not in its technical meaning) very 'amateurish'. Maybe, to be fair to Causley, he was having an off-day and was full of a cold; however, his proficiency at playing both the accordeon and keyboards this evening left a lot to be desired, and his 'frog-in-the-throat' voice was occasionally off key or flat. He also made several mistakes in both his playing and singing, stopping to correct himself as he went along. I have not been to many folk gigs, but still, I doubt that this is something which is a frequent occurance amongst performers.
Causley had a very down-to-earth and friendly manner and his chatting with the audience was done with genuine humility and passion, as he introduced each of his selections with a long introduction giving interesting background and history as well as personal anecdote; however one did get the feeling that this was 'padding' and as interesting as some of it was, we had come to listen to a concert not a history lecture.
Certainly his repertoire and song selection this evening was varied, and off-the-beaten-track, which was most refreshing and again, to give Causley his due, this gig would have worked much better in the back room of a pub or at Butlins; the Carole Nash Hall is a small classical music venue and didn't really have the right atmosphere or vibe for such an event.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 12/12/19
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