Touring with their new album, The Hum, Yorkshire folk duo Belinda O’Hooley and Heidi Tidow have been turning heads on the performance circuit since their breakout record, The Fragile, in 2012.
Recognised as one of the strongest partnerships in the modern folk scene, they were nominated for Best Duo in the 2013 BBC Folk Awards.
The opening act, harpist Sarah Dean, eased in the settling audience with her lilting, minimalist music, her rendition of Bob Dylan’s The Man In The Long Black Coat being a particular highlight.
O’Hooley and Tidow played two sets, spending their first half furnishing the enthralled crowd with songs inspired by factories, birds, gossip, motherhood, beer and love.
These ranged in tone and style from the melancholy and the deeply thematic, showcasing the excellent balance the pair has cultivated between Tidow’s melodious, flowing vocals and O’Hooley’s steady, rhythmic piano, all the way through to light-hearted, tongue-in-cheek humour, complete with obligatory folk comedy accordion.
The second half continued in much the same vein, covering topics from fictitious elderly couples and Japanese folklore, to immigration and austerity Ireland, a topic close to the performers’ hearts.
O’Hooley and Tidow make for a talented pair of artists. The audience remained captivated throughout, only breaking their silence to applaud, a testament to the arresting quality of the performance.
- Robert McKelvey
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