This was a brilliant first night in Northampton with Eliza and Norma and the Gift Band. They were relaxed and shared songs from Gift and others that were special to them. There were lots of stories and joking from both Eliza and Norma, and oddly for such a vast venue no real barrier between the audience and those on stage - we could have been in the pub together or their front room. This was why I was glad that the progress from one song to the next was not slick - they apologised for being unpolished, but really it would have been less fun if they were.

Norma is a shining star with a strong and beautiful voice who shared her passion with us for the songs she sang - I had long wanted to see her live and was not disappointed. There was some stunning fiddle playing by Eliza, especially on “Song for Kate” which she produced with little ceremony and great feeling. There was also an evocative guitar solo from Aidan Curran on “Wayfaring Stranger” which rightly won a ripple of applause. Phil Alexander (keyboard and accordion), Martin Carthy (guitar and banjo) and Danny (double bass) wove magic as support but let Eliza and Norma take centre stage, which they did with much aplomb and we loved them all. Rush and get some tickets to see them while you can - you’ll have a great night out.