The Barr Brothers at Colston Hall in Bristol review

Posted on: 2015-01-23

Our rating:

A triumphant start to The Barr Brothers tour and one they can rightly be proud of. When the audience is asked for quiet the magnificent How The Heroin Dies is carefully delivered as the set?s highlight. 5 Stars.


 

The Barr Brothers walk on stage to a warm ripple of applause and shyly acknowledge their audience. Certainly an unassuming start. What follows is two hours of music that almost defies explanation. The audience are kept open mouthed through song after song, from improvised basement jam-session interludes to fingerpicked folk, every time a moment of silence finally arrives the audience fill the room applause far louder and raucous than any softly sung folk should ever receive, yet somehow you can’t put your hands together loudly enough.

 

Andrew and lead vocalist Brad Barr hail from the Boston/Providence folk scene, originally playing together in The Slip, a folk improvisation group. A chance encounter during a gig in Montreal, Canada saw Andrew strike up a relationship and the brothers’ move north followed a year later. Adding harpist and vocalist Sarah Paige along with multi-instrumentalist Andres Vial saw the band’s creation.

With Andrew listed as the groups’ drummer, he’s often found switching between instruments. The term ‘Instruments’ means a lot more when The Barr Brothers are concerned- a harp and a pedal steel guitar are somehow considered normal when they share the stage with an old bicycle wheel and other improvised ‘instruments’. These aren’t a gimmick and never take the attention away from the music, only ever adding something that couldn’t be harnessed by traditional means. It is impossible to describe them merely as ‘folk’. The influence of Americana is clear, along with a myriad other styles.

The show opens with Brad pulling cotton thread through strings of one of the many hollow body guitars that will see action through the set, passed from member to member even during songs. The eerie noise emitted fills the auditorium with a warm glow that lasts until their final goodbyes are said.

The performance seems effortless. Each member plays an individual part in what is a glorious group effort, each adding his or her own vocals and hushed handclaps when called upon. It’s Brad Barr’s performance as the focal point that is the highlight though: pinpoint fingerpicking or wailing solo, he has a command of sing strings that is tough to top. His vocals are always considered and fit the moment perfectly, from whisper to yell they echo of Jeff Buckley’s reserved genius, as high as praise gets. 

It is a triumphant start to their tour and one they can rightly be proud of. When the audience is asked for quiet the magnificent How The Heroin Dies is carefully delivered as the set’s highlight. 

5/5

Reviewed by James Anderson for 365Bristol- the leading events and entertainment website for Bristol



Article by:

James Anderson

Born and raised in the suburbs of Swansea, Jimmy moved to Bristol back in 2004 to attend university. Passionate about live music, sport, science and nature, he can usually be found walking his cocker spaniel Baxter at any number of green spots around the city. Call James on 078 9999 3534 or email Editor@365Bristol.com.