Hattie Whitehead + Tessa Rose Jackson + Edward Randell, St Pancras Old Church, London – 3rd April 2025 – Americana UK

The venue is always inspiring, with its design and operation as a fully functioning church set in a surprisingly green and peaceful enclave just minutes from St Pancras station and amidst the gritty inner-city locale of Somers Town.  It’s a full house tonight at close to 200 supportive attendees. And with a blessedly mild spring evening on which the sun has just set as the strings start up right on 8pm (just as the church bells ring out the hourly chimes). The evening is set up as a triple headliner under the ‘Heartstrings’ banner, with the songs being very much from and about the heart, and with strings as the dominant instrumentation.

All three have only very recently started collaborating though it’s clear from the outset that they share plenty of musical ground in style, influences and indeed articulacy. And are enjoying the creative windows it is offering them.

Across the performers there is some straddling of folk, classic and, even in the most alluring way, easy listening. Which is interesting in that Whitehead herself is the progeny of a notable jazz musician and producer, her father Tim having a long and storied career as performer (perhaps most notably in Loose Tubes). His daughter Hattie opens with a light touch on the acoustic guitar such that her evocative vocal takes centre stage in the mix. ‘If You Hide’, like many of the songs across the set, is a little vignette of a person’s behavioural quirks within a relationship.  ‘Mechanism’ is also guitar-lite so her vocal sits upfront.  ‘Alive’ applies her soulful voice to describe living through both the lows and highs of human experience. She has recently completed a tour as Hejira so clearly Joni Mitchell features in her influential portfolio (indeed she does a wonderful cover of ‘Coyote’ from that mighty album, kept in reserve tonight).

The second set is more mixed up (intentionally, to be clear). Whitehead sings in ‘In The Rain’ of her anger at being hassled by a man whilst out running during Covid.

Tessa Rose Jackson is also a treat to hear. She has mentioned Laura Marling and Adrienne Lenker as amongst her influences and her delightful dreamy, lightly psychedelic melodic songs stand comparison with these more widely known artists.  Opener ‘By Morning’ is about “when you are in an argument with your partner, and you know you are wrong.” ‘Gently Now’ is a tenderly poignant and melodic tune about the prospect of being haunted by her deceased mother with the harmonised vocals adding to the haunting effect. ‘Anti-hero” considers the twists of dating in “modern day society” and then follows ‘When Your Time Comes’ which picks up to a gradual crescendo of both multi strings and voice after a soft subdued opening. It’s a truly striking song a la Jesca Hoop or Sarah Jarosz. ‘Prize fighter’ is another fine song about “the bully in your head” as she overcomes elements of self-doubt.

Edward Randell is the opener and serendipitously has a trio of songs all spring-themed. One is ‘The Wild Garlic Time’ for which he shifts to electric to sing the “frisky ” song whilst later his ‘Hands’ narrates how a family Christmas game shows the entrenched memories that emerged during a light hearted yuletide interlude.  One is reminded how songwriters are always attuned to how life offers material for their craft in any variety of situations. Randell’s final song is the enticing ‘It’s A Little Creepy’ about the unexpected oddness he feels on settling down with his partner in his early 30s.

Throughout the evening the headliners are backed by the well drilled violinists Kit Massey and Paloma Deike along with Sally Wragg on viola, Richard Phillips on cello with piano played by Loz Garratt who also managed the string arrangements.

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