Folk trio worth a listen

The Staves Festival Club, March 4 Reviewed by Bob Mason

Hailing from sunny Watford, this sisterly trio have carved a solid reputation for enchanting vocal harmonies and thoughtful songwriting.

They began their New Zealand Festival performance with a teasing a cappella aperitif, and then swiftly moved into the folk undertones of Blood I Bled. The set flitted happily from beautifully melded harmonies to funkier songs. The chewy guitar riffs of Damn It All sounded almost grungy, and offered a welcome contrast to the simple, intense purity of the other songs.

Jessica, Emily and Camilla confessed that this was their first visit to the windy capital, and Camilla quipped that this was the best Wellington audience they had played to! There was no let up on the banter either. Once they had got into their flow, they interspersed their versatile mix of songs with a typically British dry, self-deprecating humour.

There were touches of soul with Black and White, and an almost percussive effect on Outlaw, as the set shifted gear through a variety of musical influences.

The highlight was their magisterial performance of two major hits from their second album, If I Was. The lush vocal energy and syncopated rhythm of Make It Holy built gradually and subtly to an impressive crescendo. The otherworldly, spectral tone of No Me, No You, No More began with echoes of Nick Drake on the guitar and a solitary, plaintive vocal. Then the other two gently and effortlessly blended in, adding layer upon layer of the song’s rich and sonorous chords.

These tunes are typical of their darker, alt-folk style, which has been the main development since their first album, a rather mainstream offering which demonstrated little beyond their obvious musical ability.

The mic blew just as they began their final encore: a tender rendition of Mexico. No sweat. They simply stepped forward, and projected their voices a little more to a supportively hushed audience. That’s always the litmus test – the extent to which the listeners are on your side – and The Staves had evidently left a deep impression. They play again tonight, and are definitely worth a listen.