Salut! Live

Who, apart from the wonderful Ms Merchant, has read the works of Charles Edward Carryl, a New York stockbroker c.1880? Does anyone outside of a specialist in Children’s Literature know anything of William Brighty Rands, the son of a candlemaker who rose to the exalted post of a House of Commons stenographer in the 1850’s?

Those who have read her exhaustive sleeve notes to Leave Your Sleep know more than most, but many of the large audience at The Sage, Gateshead were probably unaware of the contents of this, her first album since 2003.

It was an audience that clearly remembered her days in 10,000 Maniacs and her superb solo outings like Motherland, Ophelia and Tiger Lily, full of distinctive, if rather low key songs sung in her instantly recognisable, husky voice.

She appeared on the stage dressed in a white blouse and a two piece that made her look like everyone’s image of a small town English teacher. Her band consisted of two guitarists (Eric Della Penna and Gabriel Gordon) and a cellist, rather than the 130+ musicians who contributed to her album.

She opened with a plaintive song called “If No-one Ever Marries Me” based on a poem written by the wonderfully named Laurence Alma-Tadema. Not only did we get the song, we got a potted biography of LA-T and some photos of her (for it was a she, despite her masculine sounding name).

In fact, we got the same routine for each song she did from the album. It could have turned into an earnest and rather worthy evening had it not been for the quality of the songs, some of the insights she offered - and that voice.

She looked a little self conscious as the audience were respectful rather than ecstatic. “You are so quiet”, she said, but it was clear that the audience were listening to these delightfully crafted songs.

After an hour and a quarter of Robert Louis Stevenson, Ogden Nash and Gerard Manley Hopkins, she moved on to what people really wanted to hear – her back catalogue. She asked for requests and was taken aback when 20+ different songs were called for; “You know my music” she said, in a surprised voice. She really does need to get out on tour more – there are a lot of people who love her music.

So, we got San Andreas Fault, Carnival and the wonderful, incomparable Motherland, a beautiful swirling song that touches the heart of America after 9/11. She danced around the stage, came to the front of the stage and sat on the edge as if she were singing to an intimate audience in a club.

She finished the set with favourites like Tell Yourself, Life Is Sweet and wound up with Kind And Generous, with its chorus of Thank You, Thank you, a sentiment echoed by the audience

A wonderful night, with an artist who, outside of her slightly left field following, is little known; when I told work colleagues who I was going to see, they had never heard of her.

Which is a pity, because she is absolutely brilliant; the highlight of the year so far and I urge you to buy and listen to Leave Your Sleep. Your musical and literary horizons will most certainly be broadened.