Wyvern Lingo - This is not bluegrass -
Despite the goofy directions from my generic fruit-based device, and always getting lost in this part of town, I did eventually make it to Shacklewell Arms to see Wyvern Lingo, an Irish trio who's debut release 'The Widow Knows' EP was released last year. The group has a strong r&b core with a light sprinkling of folk (hardly bluegrass, as was advertised), but the stand out feature is the strength of the vocal arrangements. Caoimhe Barry (drums), Karen Cowley (piano) and Saoirse Duane (guitar) all take turns on lead vocals, and blend together to create beautiful harmonies.
While 'The Widow Knows' shows some folk influences, tonight's performance fell more on the r&b side, with some funk and early hip-hip beats thrown in for good measure. Playing a mixture of tracks from their EP and hopefully forthcoming album, the overriding theme from the evening is that this is a group who, while obviously talented, also have the imagination to use it. Not content to rely solely on the their voices, they like to play around with musical arrangements, drop the beat, change tempo, add funky guitar riffs - this is a group trying to find the edges and having fun along the way.
Wyvern Lingo are currently supporting Hozier on his UK tour, and will be popping into The Islington on Saturday 30th May. This gig is free entry and I would highly recommend you check them out.
Gráinne @grainne4u
