Thank you so much to Rychard Carrrington for this wonderful review of a recent gig in this months Rock’n’Reel magazine. Jonathan and I will be playing in Aberystwyth again this Friday (03/02) at Y Cwps from 8pm.
Diolch yn fawr iawn i Rychard Carrrington am yr adolygiad gwych yma o gig diweddar yng nghylchgrawn Rock’n’Reel. Bydd Jonathan a finnau yn chwarae yn Aberystwyth eto ddydd Gwener yma (03/02) yn Y Cwps o 8yn.
CATRIN O’NEILL & JONATHAN DAVIES
Bank Vault, Aberystwyth
I know of none better than Catrin O’Neill for lightly communicating the varied emotional appeal of music in the folk tradition. Her friendly personal charm and unaffected enthusiasm have lost none of their freshness. While it’s her personal manner that draws one in, it’s her singing voice that really brings out the spirit, hearty or tender, of powerful traditional numbers and newer compositions, some self-penned, that perpetuate the heritage. Her feisty bodhran adds atmospheric energy.
Now lead singer of lively Welsh folk stalwarts Allan Yn Y Fan, Catrin, from Aberdyfi in Gwynedd, sings equally evocatively of the charms of the countryside, of love and of drinking. Her composition ‘Thorn Tree’ is something of a masterpiece, combining ingenuous romanticism with protest. Like her recent single ‘Tyddyn Y Gwin’, the song protests the despoiling of Welsh countryside and local society by those profiting from the tourist industry.
Though she embodies Welsh spirit, her ancestry has Irish in it, so that rich tradition is also represented. She coped splendidly with a sudden influx of drunken university freshers, treating them to a rousing rendition of ‘The Wild Rover’. Furthermore, like everyone else, Catrin is a Sandy Denny admirer: ‘Matty Groves’ and ‘Crazy Man Michael’ were included for good measure. Catrin has a fine new accompanist in Jonathan Davies, of the versatile Ceredigion folk trio Three Legg’d Mare, also deserving of wider attention. His intricate accordion, fiddle and dulcimer supply pleasing extra texture, to round off an altogether delightful performance at this promising new venue.
Catrin O'Neill 