in the village hall

I'm so glad I spotted this poster in the shop last week. So often we get talented musicians performing locally, just in small village halls, but publicity for these evenings can be severely lacking and you only hear about them after the event.

Tonight myself and 9 others enjoyed a wonderful evening of music. Marc Duff, a co-founder of the Celtic band Capercaillie, played a large variety of instruments, skilfully reaching for a different one just seconds before he had to start playing it: whistles of every size, including a beautifully mellow sounding low one, bodhran, guitar and then my favourite, the uilleann pipes. They have such a unique melancholic wailing sound and look amazingly tricky to play.

Iain Thomson impressed us with beautiful guitar playing, singing and stories of his many and varied jobs, from sheep shearer to long distance lorry driver.

A great evening for a small, but very appreciative audience.