Australian sister duo Charm of Finches, Mabel and Ivy Windred-Wornes deliver intricate folk-pop that is simultaneously graceful and darkly bewitching. Their last studio album `Marlinchen In The Snow` was recorded in rural Nova Scotia inspired by the frozen beauty of the landscape, Grimms’ Fairy Tales from their childhood and their transient life on the road with their music. The songs reflect on travel, the meaning of home, belonging, and the fragility of relationships. They are now based in Scotland and are undertaking a fourteen date tour of the UK in support of their new single `Meteor`.
Tonight`s performance, day eight, is split into two sets with a short interval inbetween and begins with a trio of numbers from last year`s `Marlinchen` album with `Clean Cut` a dreamy number which may be about a relationship breakup, `Atlantis` which seems to be a metaphor on a distanced romance and a song inspired by life on the road in `Temporary Home`. `Treading Water` is delightfully contemplative while the ethereal `Canyon` is born from weird dreams and `Leave it All Behind` with its honey drenched vocals is the duo`s ode to the Australian Landscape. This fifty minute set closes with `Human`, the mesmeric new single `Meteor` whose video was recorded in heat touching forty degrees and the absorbing `Your Company` where Ivy played the violin like a banjo.
The sisters return and open with what they share is an upbeat song about dying with `On My Own` before offering a brand new song in `Athena` inspired from reading Greek mythology. Ivy feels that Mabel is attracted to the wrong people as they head into `I Did My Best` before they shared a wonderful Kate Bush cover `Army Dreamers` which I have to say was stunning. The tender `Marlinchen in the Snow` is quite captivating and is followed by another new song `Juniper Tree` which came from childhood reading of Grimm fairy tales. The home stretch included the questioning `Gravity` and `Pocket of Stones` both from the `Wonderful Oblivion` album. The duo share a final song as an encore with `Wonderful Oblivion`s meditative title track and that concluded this forty five minute section.
Tonight was a joyfully intimate evening in the company of two gifted musicians and singers who shared amusing and thoughtful stories and songs that at times felt as if each sister was singing differing lyrics but my god it worked so well and their vocal harmonies have to be heard to be believed. There`s a few more days left to catch the duo live and I suggest you do before they advance to much larger venues.
As Aretha Franklin and the Eurythmics once sang “these sisters are doing it for themselves “
