Of course this annual gig was missed out last year due to Covid although we had caught the 2020 version which was a month or so before lockdown. It is always excellent and always interesting to see which new vocalists/songwriters/musicians are going to be showcased by the 'house band'. There was a slight disappointment when Aly Bain did not appear amongst the 13 musicians who walked on stage to start the gig. It turned out he had become ill mid-tour so we had to do without his extraordinary fiddle playing. The remaining musicians coped! The usual suspects were in the band - McCusker, McGoldrick, Shaw, Cunningham, Mackintosh, Douglas and Doyle with Daniel Kimbro on bass who I don't remember from previous gigs. The guests were Paul Brady, Dirk Powell, Siobhan Miller, Leyla McCalla and Sara Jarosz. Paul Brady was Irish and on the slightly rocky/poppy side of Celtic folk - a joy to listen to and he was having a ball as well. Dirk Powell I'd seen before with TS and plays southern US stuff expertly whether on banjo or guitar. Siobhan Miller has a beautiful voice and sings Scottish songs, Leyla McCalla is ethically Haitian and brought a different vibe to the gig both in Haitian music and the first time I've seen a cello at TS. Sara Jarosz is a consumate musician, plays stringed instruments superbly and sings beautifully and writes good songs. She played some lovely little fills while on guitar and as well as singing on her own spots snag 'guitar' with Jerry Douglas on dobro to open the second half. And of course we had the tunes every so often with the usual ramping op of the speed particulalrly towards the end of the gig. Not forgetting an air from Phil. Another great TS show.
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