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the set’s relative brevity at under 90 minutes, were the evening’s only real setbacks, issues that were overcome when the encore delivered a tremendous, atmospheric rendition of the group’s eponymous song. was manna from heaven – a hark back to the times when you could be political if you had a tune. And boy, do The Specials have tunes.
But no new ones: this is quite simply a nostalgia-fest, the menu of glorious faithfully-delivered blue beat hits from Do Nothing and Stereotype to Gangsters and Too Much Too Young only serving to underline how they remain one of the great British bands. album with added extras. The Dillards’ Elektra records were rites of passage for bluegrass fans of a certain age and Furnace Mountain could well have the same effect on subsequent generations.
Danny Knicely’s observations on Berryville, Virginia and other quips were straight out of the Dillards school and his fluid mandolin lines, alongside David Van Deventer’s fiddle mastery, added to the whole backporch bluegrass ethos of apparently casually-delivered brilliance.
What Furnace Mountain has that sets the group apart, though, is the sugar ‘n’ spice vocal partnership Aimee Curl and Morgan Morrison use to make vintage Carter Family songs such as By the Touch of Her Hand sound at once like ancient wisdom and a freshly minted message – and to give their own writing a gorgeous blend of strength and vulnerability.
Curl, on double bass, and Morrison, on bouzouki, are also the quietly effective rock that forms the basis for the quartet’s instrumental prowess.
Van Deventer’s Inchworm Set and a tune of Morrison’s that featured phrases tossed back and forth across the stage, demonstrated the kind of inventiveness they can apply to traditional Appalachian picking styles, and Knicely’s mandolin improvisation on Ashby’s Breakdown was the sort of thing that can be dangerous if done too closely to flammable material.
With Knicely doubling on fiddle – and also percussion in the form of step dancing – there’s a richness to Furnace Mountain’s sound as well as a character that’s been passed down the generations.
It all adds to the impression that they don’t just play this music, they live it. Marianne Gunn THE BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing programme has had lots of spin-off theatrical incarnations, but the glitzy January offering, although fluffy, does manage to recreate the Saturday night telly meets variety show vibe. With Keep Dancing this wasn’t quite the case, but there were three main draws for the audience, and Louis Smith, Strictly winner in 2012 and Olympic gymnast, was arguably the main pull. (Well, he had top billing anyway.)
Not without recent controversy, unfortunately Smith has the sex appeal of a sock drawer in this show, with his man bun and panto-style costuming. Dancing four numbers with breath-taking Anya Garnis (who reached the semi-final with Patrick Robinson from Casualty) Smith’s only memorable moment came in Act 2 with his comic Charleston with added gaspinducing tumbling. This dance is surely the only reason he lifted that Glitterball trophy; this year, he’d be out already.
In contrast, Strictly dancers Robin Windsor and Anya Garnis complemented each other stylistically, and it was their rhythmic Rumba which really impressed.
There was a nice arc of emotions as the ensemble cast presented Disco, to Big Band, to Tango and Jive in Act One and moved into much more Latin territory in Act 2, with a camptastic Gloria Estefan Medley to finish.
For Salsa dance fanatics, it is worth getting along to see Yanet Fuentes (who studied at the National School of Dance in Havana, Cuba, and has performed worldwide with Shakira) to see how it’s done. There were moments when it felt like she was the only person on stage. Absolutely mesmerising.
The number which nearly got the desired goosebumps moment was Applause – an absolutely sensational piece of fun hand and arm choreography. It’s a seven from me.
Music Music Music Dance