Gig Review - The Shires Folkestone Leas Cliff Hall

Mrs F, Daughter-of-Futheron and I had a night out in Folkestone last week to go see The Shires.  Firstly it very nearly didn't happen, at least for me.  I left work a little early to give plenty of time to get home, changed, have something quick to eat and plenty of time to drive down to the coast.  I get the the station and... no trains running due to some incident.  Quick decision to catch the tube over London to another station.  I get there and get on a new train so now running about 30 mins late.  Not too much of a bother should still have time ... might not get changed.   Then that train is cancelled as someone was taken ill on it just as it was about to leave.  Paramedics etc. So that was it I thought.  I found another train, a slow one that didn't get all the way home and got on that.  I was now telling Mrs F to go without me and have a good time I'd figure out how to get home at some point.  But Mrs F was adamant we'd all go together so she drove to meet me at the nearest station I could get to.  By now we've less than an hour to show time but D-o-F had prepared me a "packed tea" to eat in the car on the way and we found a parking space easily.  We got into our seats and just sat down as the lights dimmed for the start of the show!

Now apologies but after all that I didn't get the support acts name.  I solo acoustic guitar singer/songwriter - I was reasonably impressed esp as I know how hard it is to keep an audience engaged with only a guitar and your voice - he did a short set of thoughtful songs.

The Shires were a much more rockier outing.  A note here about there band - three young lads who barely look to be out of school frankly but tight, loud, accurate and well balanced.  They played their part throughout the night with aplomb - esp the guitarist who I thought was superb throughout and my daughter also commented how good she thought he was too.   The Shires only have had one album so I was a bit worried about a short set or some dodgy fillers thrown in but not at all - a new song "Just about Midnight" (I think) was one of the highlights and then the took the set quieter for a few minutes in the middle with a "song circle" idea, all the band sitting on chairs to air a couple more recently written ones.  Another highlight was a cover of The Corrs Runaway - which they nailed perfectly with it still being clearly a cover but with a hint of their own personality stamped on it. 

The thing I was most impressed by was the vocals - they are a vocal duo at the end of the day but they were flawless throughout to my ears on all the harmonies and they have two voices that excellently complement each other.

Thoroughly enjoyable night out... apart from the journey there!