HAYLEY GRIFFITHS BAND

Live POSH AND ROCK

Formidable live performances from ex-Karnataka singer’s latest band.

Hayley Griffiths first came to the prog world’s attention during her six-year stint fronting Karnataka. After her departure from that band in 2017, the classically trained singer put together her own eponymous group – one that’s on a par with her previous outfit, as this two-disc DVD recorded in Holland and France during the Hayley Griffiths Band’s debut tour in 2019 proves (a separate CD recorded, Live At t’Block, is also available).

The title is the only perfunctory thing about Live. Featuring more than three hours of material, it showcases Griffiths’ bubbly personality and stellar voice, the latter blessed with grit, vulnerability and sensitivity. But while it’s her name on the marquee, she has a way of engaging with the other musicians that makes it obvious they’re equal partners. Guitarist Matthieu Spaeter is impressive, veering from the simple to the complex depending on what’s needed. His partnership with keyboard player Ça˘gri Tozluo˘glu is crucial, the pair magnificently complementing one another.

Throughout, the music is controlled, atmospheric and dynamic, bringing to mind both Karnataka and Touchstone at their best, while the energy level and emotional commitment never drops. A thoroughly enjoyable watch.