Christchurch Folk Music Club
Babelfish
Feb 12, By Jan Driscoll
One very hot night in more ways than one, having missed Babelfish the last time they appeared at the Club, I was looking forward to a good evenings entertainment and I was not to be disappointed. For those, like myself who had no idea what the name Babelfish represents, Kerrin and Tim explained, a babelfish is evidently a mythical little fish that one inserts into ones ear thus enabling one to understand all languages, and in their case it works! Their repertoire is wide and varied, from originals, trad, contemporary, bluegrass, jazz and beyond, all handled with flair and verve. Babelish opened their first set with Sincerely Yours, one of Tim’s songs, bursting into it with great energy and good harmonies which the audience really appreciated. From then on the pace barely slowed with song after song interspersed with delightful instrumentals.
Stand-outs for me were Mountains of Mourne where Tim’s voice struck just the right balance between humour and pathos, Butterfly and Drowsy Maggie where Kerrin’s fiddle wove in and out of Tim’s rhythmic guitar work in a toe-tapping blizzard of sound. Also an Indigo Girls song Closer to Fine where two voices and two instruments blended beautifully. Babelfish are definately the “Dynamic Duo”, full of energy, strong delivery with excellent guitar and fiddle work, voices that blend beautifully and they can take old songs and imbue them with a new freshness and deliver new songs with delight. All in all an entertaining night in front of a very appreciative audience…so thank you Babelfish
Two’s Company, twice the value with two sets of performers
Two couples, two eclectic sets, twice the enjoyment and diversity. Christchurch duo Anna and James Cull opened the night with smooth harmonies, covers and original songs that showed their years of performing together and knowledge of the songs shone a bright beacon of...
Fingerpicking Delights VII 2022 6th November 2022
Fingerpicking Delights VII Reviewed by Sarah Maindonald In ancient near Eastern and Israelite culture and literature, the number Seven communicated a sense of ‘fullness’. Tony Hale’s seventh rendition of ‘Fingerpicking Delights’ continued his tradition of excellence...
Wahine Toa, Concert celebrating women, music & art 19 Sept 2021
Wahine Toa ā Waihangatanga: Women Heralding Creativity Sunday 19th September 2021 A night heralding women and their creativity Art exhibited by Stephanie McEwin and Jude Rogers Poetry Sara Qasem Performance Lisa Tui, Steffany Beck, Saffron Sisters, Susan Leigh Grant...
Fingerpicking Delights VI
Fingerpicking Delights VI, 7 November 2021 Reviewed by Russell Dann Tony Hale’s sixth edition of Fingerpicking Delights began inauspiciously with a sound glitch which held up the start of the concert. Happily, all was soon well as the sound men expertly got...
Lindsey Shields: Singer/Songwriter from Dunedin
Lindsey Shields Dunedin based singer and songwriter with her own take on things personal and political, on topics as diverse as Harrison Ford brought her warmth to a cold night to warm the spirits of the audience. More Reviews
Graham Wardrop & John Wright, talented local singer songwriters
Friends, Graham Wardrop and John Wright gave a night of insightful songs, highlighting their personal creations as well as performing songs together. Some old, some new, lots of finger-pickin' It has been said that John Wright's a very good opener, team member on the...
BottleLake Junction – 21st March 2021
Thank you to everyone who turned up and supported BotteLake Junction at the Christchurch Folk Music Club concert. A full house is a true recognition of the esteem these three consummate musicians are held in, a great audience and a hard-working band is always a good...
The Lesser Bob Tits: Dames Do Dylan – 23 May 2021
This very special tribute concert, produced by Eileen Reid, brought tunes to commemorate and celebrate the 80th birthday of Bob Dylan. Bringing together a group of fabulous women from a range of musical backgrounds, Isabella Miller Bell, Susan Grant, Lynette Díaz,...
Hillbilly Hoedown – Barndance/Ceilidh 11th July 2021
Brought to you by Gary Elford, supported by the Port Hillbillies and Andrew Redepenning. The music was cheerful and lively, jeans and plaid adorned the room, Appalachian and Bluegrass rhythms intertwined with jigs, reels, polkas and waltzes, and the packed room...
Fingerpicking Delights V
Fingerpicking Delights V 8 November 2020 By Russell Dann The fifth edition in this concert series was a cracking good concert with great artists delivering superb music in a well-balanced programme. It was compered with engaging geniality by Izzy Miller Bell with...