Aoife O'Donovan, I'm With Her, Sara Watkins, et Sarah Jarosz

As good as it gets! Great venue at The Keep pub in Guildford. Intimate, or 'cosy' as Aoife commented. Yet not too crowded. Alas the sound system got held up, in traffic on the M25, I believe, so we were treated to a pure acoustic night. It meant a hushed audience, but all the more better for that. Aoife was on top form and seemed to genuinely relish the occasion.
Set list included some old favourites, a few off the soon to be released In the Magic Tour and finishing with THe Lakes Of Ponchatrain.
Ably supported by the unusual voice of the Hope Convention
All in all an excellent night

Witnessed their show in Madison Wisconsin. Must see them live to be appreciated for a live music show. They were impressive on how the harmonies we so beautifully done on a cold night at the UW Union theater. Great that they spent so much time at the merchandise table after that show. Can’t wait to see their show come to Chicago in March of 2019.

There are few singer-songwriters who perform with a fiddle, and there are few who do it as well as Sara Watkins.Her delightful blend of bluegrass, folk and country with pop sensibilities makes for beautiful, serene and heartfelt music. Her vocals are dynamic and wide-ranging with a soft, lilting country twang. Instrumentally, she is extraordinarily talented and adept at not only the fiddle but also the guitar, ukelele as well as percussion, which she plays when performing with the Decemberists. Performing live she moves between these instruments effortlessly as she delivers her vast number of quality tunes from her two well-received full-length releases. Her Denver performance in 2012 was wonderful to witness, with her band chemistry strikingly evident from the outset, particularly between her and Jackson Browne when he joined her on stage. Her band are as equally talented as Sara, with particularly tasty guitar work on show with delicately picked acoustics perfectly complimenting Sara's fiddle. Folky harmonies are aplenty in their set, helping give further depth to the vocal delivery. Highlights of the performance were 'You and Me' which Jackson Browne joined her on, with the pair finding musical cohesion. 'Take Up Your Spade' was a delightful country ballad that clearly moved the audience. She is a dazzling talent with a collection of timeless songs to soothe the soul.

Sarah Jarosz is going to be a staple in the bluegrass scene for a long time to come. At only 23 years of age, she's already got 3 solid albums under her belt and shows no signs of slowing down. Sarah, with her banjo, mandolin, and sweet and distinctive voice, accompanied by Alex Hargreaves on the fiddle and Nathaniel Smith on the cello, treat their listeners to a soulful collection of original bluegrass tunes such as "Run Away" and the rousing "Fuel the Fire" as well as an impressive cover of Bob Dylan's "Ring Them Bells" and a musical rendition of Edgar Allen Poe's touching and haunting poem "Annabelle Lee". This trio has no trouble captivating audiences with their talent, but it doesn't hurt that Sarah could likely sing straight from the phonebook and would somehow make it sound incredible.