11 June 2014 (gig)
15 June 2014
The Pierce sisters were back in town, and eagerly awaited. They are debatably more popular here than their home USA; their blend of folk and pop with infusions of late 60’s psychedelia has struck a chord with many over here leading to a sold out show, and a varied audience (Both in ages and genders.), which from an artists point of view must be pleasing.
The sisters chose to open the set with the unfamiliar Elements from the new album. It’s a brave move as it’s not the most immediate of songs being on the sombre side. It’s followed by a damn heavy, almost grinding version of the far more familiar Love You More. And that was pretty much the pattern of the evening, mixing lots of new material with songs mostly from their best known album, You and I.
By and large it worked, in particular for the singles Believe in Me and Kings which benefitted from the stripped down production. Devil is a Lonely Night’s gallop was choice though top was an incredibly powerful I Can Feel, as well the bass heavy bruiser Honest Man.
Blessed with an excellent sound, Catherine and Allison voices and harmonies were as you’d expect and the band solidly did their job too. There’s not a lot of movement on the stage but the strength of their songs, together with their natural rapport and good nature meant that there was never a dull moment.
The set proper closed with a very warmly welcomed and almost melancholic rendition of You’ll be Mine. A few minutes and they were back for a truly moving version of Simon and Garfunkel’s Kathy’s Song. There was no way to follow that and certainly not with the unfamiliar Flesh and Bone. They redeemed themselves with a glorious, Glorious, and that was it.
A relatively short set, possibly overloaded with tracks from the new album, niggled a bit, but the overall performance overshadowed those minor points, and The Pierces continue to move forward.
