Cultural Dessert

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Bella Hardy

26 March 2008

The young folk singer, Bella Hardy, from Edale in Derbyshire was recently nominated for a BBC Radio 2 Folk Award and provided harmony vocals on the excellent debut album by Ruth Notman (reviewed here in February 2008). Last week we took the opportunity to see Bella perform in the newly refurbished bar at the Queen's Theatre in Barnstaple. The unusual surroundings ("like performing in Ikea") and small audience (18 people) made for an intimate gig. Bella was accompanied on the Anglo concertina by Chrs Sherburn and Chris's experience and laid-back comic personality made for plenty of gentle banter - an entertaining double act. Bella has a beautiful and impressive voice. She sings traditional English folk songs that tell a story -mostly grim tales, even when the music is uplifting. I would have welcomed a little more variety of style - it would have been good to hear her voice in a more modern idiom occasionally - but it was a lovely evening and I've been enjoying her CD 'Night Visiting'.

'In the Valley of Elah'

26 March 2008

Last Monday we were at the delightful little cinema in Lynton, North Devon, to see 'In the Valley of Elah' - a film with Tommy Lee Jones and Charlize Theron about American soldiers returning from Iraq. Although dealing with an extremely grim subject this was a clever and enjoyable film which repeatedly avoided the many traps it could easily have fallen into. Most of the horrors are recounted rather than shown and I