Guests : Real Time

1 December 2006

Real Time came to Bingham and provided us with one of our best evenings in recent times. One could be excused for thinking at first that the trio look a little too laid back and relaxed but when they start to play it becomes obvious that this is the result of many accumulated years of performance and one has to reassess.

The violin player, Chuck, is new to the group but with a track record such as his it is no surprise that he fits in so well. His style, with fiddle held a little forward and lower than the classical position, reminds one more of someone stroking a cat than the frantic efforts to saw the instrument in half that we are used to from fast Celtic players of today. With a few graceful steps around the stage to give a dance like aura to his performance Chuck fly's through those fast reels seemingly effortlessly and the smile on his face belies the speed and accuracy with which the fingers of his left hand stop those strings.

The voice of Judy has a lower register of pure velvet, so clear and with such a full tone that it is a surprise to find that she has a good range and can hold the long high notes with the best of them. Judy's clear enunciation and sympathetic style make for lyrics which are easy on the ear and enable the listener to follow the story as well as the tune. Her percussion playing, like everything else about these three is well matched to the other players and strong enough to set tempo without overpowering the melody of her fellow musicians; even the shaky egg seems like less of a joke in her hands!

Kenny's guitar playing is powerful and full of style and good technique with no squeaking of the strings as his left hand moves at speed over the frets. He is as happy as the next man to strum away giving rhythm backing to the others but when his turn comes his finger picking style takes over the melody effortlessly and with sufficient power to deliver a performance that makes you pay attention.

All in all, Real Time are a thoroughly professional group giving an all round performance of traditional and contemporary Scottish songs and tunes, some self composed and some traditional oldies. Their introductions and the banter between numbers makes for a seamless and amusing flow of material keeping the audience's attention throughout the evening. I was pleased to witness something lacking in today's folk scene which I found quite refreshing, these guys move from tune to tune sometimes without waiting for applause, proof that they enjoy hugely and are very proud of what they do and rightly so.

Review : Phil Bleazey