Freida Margolis is definitely the venue to play at. Having sprung up in only the last few months as a folk music venue, The Kingsland Folk Club wasted no time in shifting venues for the night. I went along to see Herriot Row, supported by Dead Little Penny
Freida’s serves a lovely punch, delicious nibbles and pizzas and only fits a snug 45. A good crowd turned up to see Herriot Row perform some new songs off his forthcoming record, the first one to come from the new band name. 
Herriot Row is the new moniker for the critically acclaimed Auckland (via Dunedin) songwriter Simon Comber. His guitar work was magical and intricate, making full use of numerous pedals to create new tones and sounds. While some songs ventured out of the folk genre, together with drummer and bassist he gave us a sneak preview of some beautifully written new songs performed with band for the first time. At times I felt the performance could have been toned back, and was perhaps a tad overindulgent but this feeling was quickly quashed by another well written line of lyric. 

Dead Little Penny was a breath of fresh air in a folk scene full of carefully chosen words never meant to offend. Dark tales of LSD (love, sex and drugs) it was described in the event page and that about sums it up perfectly. Rodney Fisher provides needed electric guitar work that interweaves delicately with the raw tones and stories Hayley provides us with. 

If you haven’t been to Freida’s it is a must. The Lonesome Pine Specials are performing on March 22, and that will be spectacular. 

Photos courtesy of Jess Bailey. 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*
*