Sam Sweeney fronted the band and introduced much of the set using just the right mix of humour and information. Hannah James supplied heart-stopping vocals, wonderful accordion and as she is an accomplished clog dancer several tunes had clog percussion. Jamie Roberts’ sensitive guitar playing was a constant and often prominent feature and finally (Sam’s brother) Tom’s electric bass bound the whole together.

They opened with ’Katie Shaw’, a 70s song written by Roger Watson. The tale of a young girl who, disillusioned by private service, hides her charms and takes up mining. Found out at last she marries the mine owner’s son. Highly improbable but great fun and the first chance to appreciate Hannah’s voice and clogs.

On through the rest of the first half, a short but terrific unaccompanied May song, Arise Arise, then a good version of ’The Bold Grenadier’. A modern by Phil Cunningham in memory of the Braer Disaster had a wry feel, reflecting the irony of the violent seas mitigating the oil spill even as they pounded the ship.

Then Two French Boure, danced again by Hannah. By this time they could do no wrong for me and after several more tunes, including two from Sam and Hannah’s upcoming duo album, the break was heralded by an unfamiliar but infectious version of ’One Man Went to Mow’.

The second half was, if possible, even better and two highlights were a stunning version of ’Dawn by the Greenwood Side’ from the Childe Ballads, a chilling tale of infanticide with an insistent and relentless beat and a constant sinister needling phrase on the fiddle. The second was ’Castleton Carol’ a very powerful song for Corpus Christi and a better version I’ve never heard.

An enthusiastic response brought ’The Brisk Widow’ as an encore and I’m sure there would have been several more if allowed. A really fine band playing very good traditional music, I enjoyed every minute. Some of the best old and new traditional folk I’ve heard for a long time.