Bardic Trio
Tillermans, Invercargill
Reviewer: Kirsty MacNicol
THEY promised a pre-Christmas Celtic cocktail. They delivered a
banquet.
It night have been Celtic style but the Bardic Trio's performance in Invercargill on Saturday night had a distinctly Kiwi feel and Tillermans was the perfect venue
Steve "The Bard" Thomas opened with a selection of original poetry that won the crowd over within minutes. When reciting from memory he had conviction and flair and much of his work was quite brilliant.
However, he risked letting us slip away a few times when he lost eye contact to read from his new book.
Jimmy Young's fingers danced over whistles, Northumbrian pipes and flute His original tunes were beautifully melodic and between times he kept us entertained with jokes and anecdotes told as if we were all old mates.
His End Of the Rainbow Suite, dedicated to Greenpeace and the sinking of the Rainbow Warrior in Auckland, was superb,
James Wilkinson's command of the acoustic guitar was nothing short of astounding and his will clearly be a name to look out for on the world stage.
As if the guitar wasn't enough, he also captivated the crowd with a distinctive voice, which mastered both original and offbeat compositions such as Glasgow Kiss to his unique interpretations of timeless classics others wouldn't dare take on, like The Beatles' Eleanor Rigby.
But natural talent aside, the most appealing thing about this performance was the passion each had for his art. The instruments were not merely tools but extensions of the musicians.
Thomas, primarily the comic, also proved he had a deeper side with a powerful recitation of his poem The River Taff backed by stirring imagery conjured up by Wilkinson on bass guitar.
Top marks, too, to Creative New Zealand for supporting such a fantastic tour. It was the best night's entertainment I've seen in a long time.
Invercargill Newsgroup
Bards’ Magic entrances audience
The BardicTrio; James Wilkinson and Jimmy Young with Steve Thomas. Presented by Nelson Acoustic Routes last night. Reviewed by Mike Lipscombe
Three performance artists, spinning tales and weaving musical magic, entranced their audience at Yaza Cafe last night.
James Wilkinson, guitarist, vocalist and composer, along with Jimmy Young, acclaimed exponent of Northumbrian Pipes and Scottish Flutes, and guest Steve Thornas, poet and storyteller, each brought their own gems to the treasure trove that was their show.
Wilkinson's guitar playing has earned him wide recognition as one of the best in his field. He played his acoustic six-string guitar with relaxed authority. Each piece was a virtuoso performance. The haunting sounds he coaxed out of the instrument and the speed of his fretwork were the undoubted highlights of the evening
Young played Northumbrian pipes, which he described as looking like "a strange sort of Hoovermatic". Scottish flutes came and went and pennywhistles also featured in his performance, all these instruments he played with polished flair
Young had a natural ease with the audience and his jokes and stories were another highlight: His. strongest contribution however, was the. seamless blending of his music to Wilkinson’s guitar or vocal sound.
Wilkinson and Young are both members of New Zealand group Rua. Playing as a duo on this tour, the highest point of their performance together was one of Rua's better known songs, The Braes of Lochiel, another notable piece, The Convict’s Lament on the Death of Captain Logan, featured Wilkinson's powerful vocal work,
Steve Thomas’s role was to open each set: with his poetry: and off-the-cuff chatting with the audience.
He began, somewhat bravely, with a version of his well-known poem Nelson Belson, followed by some clever rhymical raps accompanied by an Omnichord,
Thomas has a world-weary sense of humour and the bulk of his first set dealt with some of the jaded principles of green politics. The outstanding poem of his set laid out the perils of being a teenager, and was delivered, and received, with heart-felt passion
The Bardic Trio are taking a high quality music show into the rural and provincial communities and are. experiencing some interesting "and dangerous" receptions in the smaller towns,
Their finale, Welcome to Our World, revealed a thought-provoking glimpse into a creative artist's inspiration: "Welcome my world, the beach is my office, the sand is my desk, a shell my phone, welcome to my work".
The Nelson Mail, 27/11/00.
Guitarist steals the Show
Review
Bardic Trio
Hotel Taieri
I stood and offered my personal ovation to guitarist James Wilkinson when he finished his solo piece during the Bardic Trio show at the Hotel Taieri.
A nominee for New Zealand Guitarist of the Year, Wilkinson's techniques in Because of the Rain surpassed anything I have seen or heard on that instrument before. Plugged into an amplifier, the acoustic guitar resonated with rhythms and harmonies as Wilkinson switched from skilled picking and strumming to intricate, two-handed tapping techniques Words fail to even partly describe the visual and aural magic he created.
Other members of the Christ-church-based trio, supported by an Arts on Tour NZ grant, are fellow musician Jimmy Young and poet Steve Thomas. Young had Thursday night's Mosgiel audience mesmerized with his mastery of Northumbrian pipes, flutes and a variety of whistles.
Originally, from Scotland, he kept the audience entertained between songs with wry stories and Celtic jokes even trying to put a good spin on the fact a large
television screen behind the bar was left on during the show.
"I've been in New Zealand for 11 years and it's the first time I've
played when the soccer is on, Young noted, then advised: "If you see me staring over there you'll know why."
Soon7 he was interrupting the next piece of music, throwing his arm in the air and crying out: "oh, you beauty! He's just scored." Bar staff ignored the hint
Otago Daily Times
