Old Chairs to Mend

David Gibb's second solo album, There Are Birds in My Garden [reviewed in #79] revealed the adventurous musical mind of yet another product of the healthily crowded Derbyshire folk scene. While deeply rooted in the folk canon and drawing on traditional arrangements, he was brave enough to bring a pop sensibility to his music that took old songs in a new direction. Less than a year later, this busy musician has now released his debut full-length album paired with fiddle and viola player Elly Lucas. The duo has a history, having played together in the band David Gibb & the Pony Club and on the Derbyshire folk circuit. Their youthful voices harmonise well together, particularly on the sweet, simple ‘Uncle Joe’, Whether reinterpreting traditional numbers such as ‘Jerusalem Cuckoo’ or ‘Sam Hall’, or on self– penned tracks, the intricate guitar and fiddle lines are precise and unindulgent. A highlight is their reworking of ‘Blacksmith,’ Gibb bringing out a soulful quality in his guitar playing against Lucas’ beautifully intoned vocal. A nostalgia for bygone times emerges though the album on horse-themed tracks like ‘Man on the Road’ and ‘Goodbye to the Plough Horse, and old games like ‘Leapfrog’. Their ambition and energy is infectious. It would be nice to hear them push their sound even further, but doubtless their assurance will only increase the further they develop in their music.