What a great weekend: a family wedding, on the wrong side of the Pennines, followed by a gig in Kendal by Karine Polwart, my musical lockdown discovery. The wedding reception was held in the pavilion of the East Lancs cricket club, with a game in progress under blue skies and whispy clouds (though not a swallow in sight). The speeches were short, and perfectly pitched, with a few jokes (nothing too smutty), reminiscences and hopes for the future. No shouting matches, no fist-fights: an altogether wholesome and enjoyable affair.
I headed north, long before the disco was due to start, and managed to squeeze the van into the last space in the car park at the Old Brewery arts centre. The music was stripped back: just Karine singing and pianist Dave Milligan playing. According to one review of her most recent album, “This melodic and mellifluous music is a perfect illustration of the richness of restraint”, and I can’t argue with that. Her songs are still floating around in my head, especially The Parting Glass, which was, appropriately, the last song of a magical evening.
Blackburn Cathedral, yesterday morning...
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