Review | The Trials of Cato at The Square Tower, Old Portsmouth: 'Outstanding musicians'
If there are any opening night nerves abetted by the tour's fraught start, they're well hidden.
On their debut, 2018's Hide and Hair, TTOC were an all-male trio, but banjo player/vocalist Robin Jones and guitarist/keys player Tomos Williams are now joined by Polly Bolton on vocals and mandolin.
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Hide AdThis obviously changes the dynamic, but the set draws mostly on their new album Gog Magog which was recorded with Bolton.
Jones’ rich lead vocals are a contrast to Bolton’s airy, breathy style.
And those three stringed instruments, each with its own distinctive sound, work well together – with each player also getting their chance to shine in the numerous tunes aired tonight.
They are also fond of a good stomping song, Bedlam Boys and I Thought You Were My Friend both being cases in point.
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Hide AdBlack Shuck (not a cover of hard-rock band The Darkness' song of the same name, they point out) provides a touch of brooding menace, melding quite comfortably into an all-too-brief coda of Led Zeppelin's Kashmir.
The gents hail from Wrexham, north Wales (Bolton is from Yorkshire), and several songs lean into their heritage – with a couple of Welsh language numbers, Haf (meaning ‘summer’) and Aberdaron, about the picturesque village.
Meanwhile AD60 is about Boudicca, 'the OG Celtic queen'.
Some of the banter is knowingly tongue-in-cheek and a tad cheesy, but the packed house is game and plays along just fine.
They're called back for a well-deserved encore, and perform another new cut – a set of tunes they've dubbed Balls To The Wall. It's an aptly feisty finale.
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Hide AdThese outstanding musicians putting their own stamp on the folk idiom are well worth your time.
Opening act Rob Clamp is an engaging singer-songwriter. With a fine voice and some memorable songs, he's worth checking out.
Despite coming from Southampton and segueing from U2's I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For (a band I have never cared for) into one of his own songs, he leaves a positive impression.
Just don't tell him he looks like the comic Rob Beckett – he knows.
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