Sam Lee and his bandmates do folk music differently.
Very differently: where you might expect an accordion or acoustic guitar, instead the group showed off exotic instruments like the yangqin (a 96-string Chinese dulcimer), shruti box (a mini harmonium from India) and… the pumpkin (an unexpectedly percussive vegetable).
These certainly added something to the often-jazzy arrangements, but it was Lee And Friends’ passion and musicality that made it such a special evening. The ensemble – which also included violin, drums, piano and Jew’s harp – was perfectly balanced, allowing Lee’s warm, engaged voice space to relate songs collected from gypsy singers across the UK.
One of these was a medley of pieces originally collected from Brighton flower seller Mary Ann Haynes. Haynes’ family had seen footage of Lee singing it at the Brighton Festival launch in 2013, he revealed, and many of her relatives were in the audience – to his obvious delight.
The relatively low sound levels forced the audience to lean in, but the rewards for concentrating were rich: magical hunting song Airdog and the “soppy” Moon Shone On My Bed Last Night being particular highlights. The group’s beautiful encore – for which they eschewed microphones, instead singing Lovely Molly in a capella harmony – was another quiet triumph.
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