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
Adam McGrath
June 2018 There is an interwoven thread of connections between Adam McGrath and the Christchurch Folk Club spanning many years. He has previously performed at both the Folk Club and the Canterbury Folk Festival, and we hope to have him or The...
All Girl Big Band
1st July 2018 A night where the audience was treated to a fantastic display of exceptional musicianship. One of the attendees asked ‘where else in the world would you have got such top entertainment for $10 or $15? no where, it was an...
The Secret Lives of Ukulele
24 June 2018 Rocking those ukuleles and cigar box guitars – throwing in bass and drums! Presenting with a rainbow mix of colour, all made for a kaleidoscopic extravaganza for the senses. The mood lighting enhanced the night; songs with water...
Eddie Simon – Music Accolades Over Many Years
Eddie Simon expressed his nervousness to me before he performed at the club. On reflection is truly a compliment, as this illustrates his care about the audience, their opinion and that his songs are important to him and his wish to have his...
The Two Jimmies (James Wilkinson and Jimmy Young)
A full-house that spanned the generations, with no seats to be had and a few in the crowd left standing, sums up the preperformance expectations for ‘The Two Jimmies’, James Wilkinson and Jimmy Young.
Trouble In The Kitchen
Club concert - 28 May, by Lorcan Bolster Trouble In The Kitchen are a young, Melbourne based, traditional Irish Music band and a damn fine band they are. Over here in NZ on their first overseas tour they are Ado Barker on fiddle, Ben Stevenson on flute,...
Simon Kerr
Review by Lynette-Diaz - July 20, 2008 New Zealand native, Simon Kerr, has been living in Australia for the past six months. Leaving his New Zealand band the Acoustic Junkies to go it solo in the big Melbourne pond. During his recent Folk Club...
Ruth Wyand – Review
Club concert - 23 April, by Isabella Miller Bell I really look forward to receiving the folk club magazine and reading through to see who's coming to town and who's doing what with whom these days. When I read that Ruth Wyand was to be...
Rural Delivery
Concert at Club Sunday 8 October, Reviewed by Margorie Mitchell With "just a desire to entertain" Rural Delivery succeed from every angle. A comedy night – with incidental music – was an understatement offered from one of the band during the...
Port Fairy Folk Festival – March 9th-12th, 2007
By Lance Risk If it is possible to have too much of a good thing, Port Fairy Folk Festival is just that for a hard core Festival haunting Folkie like me. It is like every New Zealand festival run over the same weekend. Set up six giant tent...