Jackie Oates mixed tracks from her unusually-titled new album Hyperboreans, with original and more familiar tunes, quietly appreciated by a loyal crowd at London’s subterranean Borderline club.

The set opened with the engaging tale of The Miller and His Three Sons, which also opens the new album. The telling of the tale was enlivened by the energetic strumming of guitarist and all round ’second fiddle’ James Dumbelton, who also shared ’banter’ duties with Jackie throughout the evening.

Jackie’s clear pitched voice and traditional violin were beautifully complemented during her set by gentle backing vocals, and sustained keyboards (occasionally replaced by a more traditional melodeon depending on the song). The sound was kept rolling along nicely by the double bass, especially effective in some of the more upbeat tunes.

The set list encompassed familiar tunes such as the Copper Family’s ’Pleasant Month of May’ (is there any other month in the folk calendar?), ’Young Leonard’, (a re-located rendition of drowning ditty ’The Lakes of Colphin/Champlain’, familiar to me from the excellent Martin Simpson version), as well as Jackie’s version of Nic Jones’ Irish convict song ’The Isle of France’.

The most unexpected tune of the night and the album was probably Jackie’s performance of the whimsical ’Birthday’ (originally by the Sugarcubes), which takes her impressive vocals more in to the territory of Björk or Imogen Heap.

For me, however, the highlight of the performance was a set of three Cornish dances, which injected some welcome energy into what was otherwise a pleasant but perhaps rather low-key evening. These tunes hinted at the possibility of a full blown Cornish dance party (the equivalent, we were told by Cornish-speaking guitarist James, of a Breton Fest Noz). However as almost the sole example of a more upbeat offering, it was a shame that the dance set resulted in nothing more than some vigorous foot-tapping, rather than actually bringing the sizeable crowd to the dance floor.