Flook, Dreamers' Circus

Sometimes you stumble across nights in London where you feel like you have stepped into a secret world. Friday night at the Union Chapel was one such evening. Coming to the end of a week where London was filled with tiny trick-or-treaters and fireworks, Flook and Dreamers’ Circus provided refuge.

Flook opened the evening with an uplifting set filled with dancing melodies and strong rhythmical support and bass chords from the guitar. With Brian Finnegan stepping up as front man (Ed Boyd had laryngitis), we were enthralled from the outset. Brian Finnegan and Sarah Allen intertwined tunes with breath-taking speed and brilliance. The fact that Allen played all of this standing on one leg made it even more impressive! Boyd’s guitar and John Joe Kelly’s bodhran gave a real weight to the tunes. Each song was introduced with a story, giving a real intimate air to the set. Whether it was a song dedicated to the Russian Poet Laureate (Boris), a Georgian love affair or finding love in Mexico, each melody entranced everyone in the space. We felt looked after by Flook, as if your best mates are suddenly brilliant at music and want to make sure you have a great evening.

The second half brought more delights as Dreamers’ Circus strolled onto the stage. They were an incredibly tight trio, often playing music to each other rather than to us. Far from making us feel excluded, this introspective nature of their music made us feel privy to something intimate and special. The band was formed in 2009 when Nikolah Busk happened upon Rune Tonsgaard Sorensen on the fiddle and Ale Carr on the cittern playing in a bar in Copenhagen. The sheer musical brilliance of the Nordic trio was really impressive. The set opened with a haunting fiddle melody from Tonsgaard which had everyone in the chapel holding their breath. Carr supported the fiddle player with various Nordic instruments, all of which he played with a relaxed ease. Busk moved from accordion to piano to keyboard and held everything together.

There was a wonderful fiddle battle at one point which involved lots of boot stomping and whooping. Some of the melodies felt ancient and mournful, but other tracks combined spoken word and a subtle rhythm track. The moment when all the elements slotted together became trance like and the audience, once again, were stilled to silence.

A brilliant night and one which will be remembered for a long time. Flook set the scene perfectly, welcoming us in, getting our toes tapping and the worries of the week slipping away. When Dreamers’ Circus started, the atmosphere moved into a slightly more ethereal realm as we sat dazzled by the roots music brought into 2024 by this innovative Nordic trio.