Gretchen Peters 5/3/2013

The support act was an excellent singer/songwriter from Antrim called Ben Glover who kicked off with a great song 'You and I' and gave the delivery some welly. He pretty much maintained that high level of quality throughout his 30-minute set with a strong singing style and thoughtful songs. Gretschen Peters was leading a three piece band with hubby Barry Walsh on piano and accordion and Christine Bougie on guitars and percussion. She started with 'Woman on the Wheel' from the new album and played a lot of songs from the album including the superb 'Idlewild' and 'Five Minutes' which came later on in the set. Throughout her singing was strong but also varied in style and tone depending on the particular song which is a difficult skill. She brought Ben Glover back on for a rousing version of 'Grievous Angel' which was one of the high spots for me. I also loved a new song to me 'England Blues' which was done as a high energy track near the end and by the end of the song Barry Walsh was standing up and banging the piano keys in a Chris-Staintonesque style. The closing song of the encore was another brilliant cover to follow 'Grievous Angel' earlier. The band did a lovely version of 'Wild Horses' with haunting vocals from Gretschen and perfect support from the band and Ben again on vocals. A super gig in a nice venue. I'm looking forward to her next tour already.