Bella Hardy has just released 'With The Dawn' her seventh album since 2007 debut 'Night Visiting', and has again moved the folk tradition forward with an album of her thoughts on friendships, loneliness, grief and ultimately hope and new beginnings using traditional arrangements augmented by the addition of electronic effects and beats.
With a newly shortened and dyed blonde hairdo an almost unrecognisable Bella comes on stage in a sparkly-top outfit she tells us she bought for the BBC Radio2 Folk Awards the previous week; Bella was awarded the Folk Singer of the Year Award at the 2014 version. She is accompanied by the With The Dawn band who in addition to expected instruments play a grand piano, electric organ and a laptop (yes, a laptop) which is as skilfully programmed and manipulated by album producer Ben Seal as he does on the album.
Guitarist/ banjo player (and as we learn tonight squash player) Anna Massie opens the set with the banjo intro to 'First Light of the Morning',one of many tracks from 'With The Dawn' played tonight which shows the clever incorporation of the effects and beats alongside Bella's vocals, this harmonious marriage is possibly best consummated tonight on 'Lullaby For A Grieving Man'.
'The Herring Girl' which won her the Best Original Song from the 2012 Folk Awards, concerns a young girl on trial after using her gutting knife to defend herself against a drunken attacker, sounds like a traditional song of the 1800's rather than one written 4 years ago.
The highlight of tonight's performance is her contribution to 'Songs for The Voiceless' an album of songs about The Great War ,'Jolly good luck to the girl that loves a soldier' is written from the woman's point of view. During the final stanza, “ To those whom only shells of men or ghosts of men come marching home singing “Glory, glory hallelujah...”” the rest of the band finish and Bella is left alone strumming her fiddle, on the third syllable of hallelujah she hits an almost inhumanly high note that probably rattles the glasses in the bar and sends any dogs being walked in adjacent Cannon Hill Park running for cover, as she finishes there's a stunned silence before the audience applauds. It's a spine-tingling moment.
'With The Dawn' has rightly received critical acclaim and the quality of playing tonight alongside Bella Hardy's beautiful, soaring, apparently effortless vocals perfectly transfers the recorded versions to the MAC tonight.
Alisdair Whyte
