Gretchen Peters 19/4/2019

Gretchen Peters has joined the top league of alt-country singers for me. This was the fourth gig of hers for me, the first one being in 2013 and they have all been outstanding. This time she came with the same excellent band as last time (Barry Walsh on piano, Colm McClean on guitar and Connor Mcreanor on bass) plus a string quartet who came on for the second half (three violins and a cello). The first set was the basic band with a couple of songs where a single string player came on. Colm McClean was brilliant (as he was last time); subtle but beautiful guitar playing whether filling in or soloing. Barry Walsh is about as good on piano, relaxed joyful keyboards. Gretchen ran through a stack of her best songs. Th highlight of the first half for me was the outstanding 'Everything Falls Away' with brilliant solos from guitar and particularly piano. A song full of sadness and truth. 'Disappearing Act' is another favourite from her last album and it was great version of 'Saving Grace'. She finished the half with 'Five Minutes' and 'Idlewild' two of her best songs, telling stories which have resonance on a bigger scale than the particular tale they tell. The strings were on for the second half and they added a driving fullness to the sound which complemented her songs. All four of the 'Southern Fried String Quartet' were right on the button. She kicked off with 'Arguing with Ghosts', did a great version of 'Hello Cruel World', the superb 'Blackbirds' and a few older songs, the last two and most memorable of which were 'On a Bus to St Cloud' and 'To Say Goodbye' which again featured great playing from guitar and keyboards. There was a brief encore of 'When I grow old' and then that was it. A couple of other things worth mentioning were her acoustic guitar playing which is steady as a rock and a key part of the overall sound and the incredible enthusiasm of the audience. She seems to have found a rapport with St Georges and Bristol and I am hoping she turns up again soon.