THE UNTHANKS | LIVE REVIEW
Tramshed, Cardiff, Sat 29 Apr
On a visit one weekend, I was introduced to the most distinctive and haunting sound coming from the stereo. On inquiring, I learned I was listening to Nick Drake, from the Fruit Tree box set. I thought it was the latest import and wondered why I hadn’t heard of him but was told he had died almost 10 years earlier at 26, of an apparent suicide. The prodigious musician’s fame and mass appreciation would come posthumously, and now his mother’s recognition the same way.
Tonight, folk and roots group The Unthanks were performing tunes from their upcoming album The Songs And Poems Of Molly Drake Vol.4, from their Diversions series, and also from the same-titled Extras addition. On this How The Wild Wind Blows tour, reimagined songs of many aspects including lost love, regret and mourning were interspersed with recorded poems passionately and beautifully read by the actress Gabrielle Drake – Molly’s daughter and Nick’s sister. The stage set perhaps resembled the living room where Molly’s songs were recorded in the 50s and 60s.
Sisters Rachel and Becky Unthank are the perfect choice to be the interpreters for Molly. These angels of the North sing in their natural Tyneside accent, and that’s so refreshing. Endearing, too, was Becky’s habit of rising on her toes slightly when singing.
Many of Molly’s poems were written after Nick’s death and Time, which deals with grief, began the evening. What Can A Song Do To You? was the first song of hers that I ever heard, and it was the first done here, and I had the same reaction – tears. It’s about hearing a song and wakening sleeping memories, and I’m sure much of the audience reminisced, too. About formative years of uni, discovery, independence and first serious relationships. The pensive I Remember told of days when you thought you were happy as a couple before discovering only you were – and was heartrendingly performed by the duo, also.
Like other vocalising siblings such as the Everly Brothers, Beach Boys and Bee Gees, Rachel and Becky’s harmonising was perfection, continuing with songs such as Bird In The Blue and Set Me Free that dealt with loss, sorrow and suffering. Rachel commented on Molly’s searching for peace of mind, saying “We do like a dark tale.” Becky said that they didn’t expect to find such beautiful treasures when they came across Molly’s CD and book and that “We felt really connected to her songs. They‘re therapeutic.” Molly had endured much hardship – prior to her son’s depression and demise, she had spent WWII in Burma – but she was a strong, optimistic woman. This showed in her compositions The First Day (sung by Becky) and with Rachel alone, sweetly but achingly, on Happiness and Never Pine For The Old Love.
Molly’s writing was practical, also, particularly on Little Weaver Bird. This tune highlighted the instrumental side of The Unthanks to great effect – other permanent member, pianist/producer Adrian McNally with Chris Price (double bass), Niopha Keegan (violin/viola) and Faye MacCalman (clarinet/saxophone). All except MacCalman provided backing vocals and everyone’s musicianship was superb. Molly’s creations were done in more of a theatrical vein of the time and while I like that style, McNally’s updated arrangements are simply wonderful, without forsaking her essence.
Not all the poems and songs have been mentioned but The Unthanks carried off everything they did with such evocativeness and conviction. Photos of Molly were shown in the background and you could sense her, strikingly so when home movie footage was shown of her holding Nick as a baby and frolicking on the beach with both her children during Do You Ever Remember? Becky started the encore with the first song of his that she listened to, the quietly captivating River Man, and they finished on a hopeful note with Dream Your Dreams. Molly’s artistry, like Nick’s, wasn’t all dark. They both shared a bond with nature and the seasons and this is reflected in their work.
Nick Drake brought much solace to me, and doubtless many in this crowd; so now have Molly and Gabrielle Drake and The Unthanks. Concert recall fades with the passage of time, but this one has had me crying through it all and left an everlasting imprint on my heart. Glancing around at and speaking to fans, they, too, were experiencing these feelings. We will tuck this experience away in our own ‘memory boxes,’ to take out now and again and remember with fondness.
words RHONDA LEE REALI photo ROGER T