Trials of Cato a folk treat amid the Newbury Spring Festival
Newbury Spring festival: Trials of cato, at the Corn Exchange, on Friday, May 12. Review by STEPHEN OTTNER
ONLY one folky offering in this year’s Newbury Spring Festival, but it was with a trio worthy of that place.
The Trials of Cato first got together in Beirut while working there as English teachers.
After returning to the UK their debut album Hide and Hair won Best Album in the BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards in 2019. In 2020 the departure of Will Addison left a gap filled by Polly Bolton from Yorkshire, joining the Welshmen Tomos Williams and Robin Jones.
In November last year their second album, Gogmagog, was released to much acclaim.
The songs in Welsh brought out the best of the vocal harmonies from these three highly-talented musicians
The stage at the Corn Exchange was set with three microphone positions and banjos, bouzouki, mandolin guitar, keyboard and stomp box.
After the introduction the musicians came on to the stage and launched into a spirted instrumental followed by Ring of Roses from their second album.
A modern plague song, of their own composition, featuring breathy, haunting vocals from Polly. It was only then that they welcomed the audience and said how pleased they were to be part of the Newbury Spring Festival.
The single set, with no interval, was a mix of instrumentals and songs, both English and Welsh, from the trio’s two albums, mostly original compositions by the band.
The songs in Welsh brought out the best of the vocal harmonies from these three highly-talented musicians. A stand-out number was their take on a song from the tradition – Bedlam Boys.
This song started with a dramatic, attention grabbing introduction which included a pitch-shifted and distorted sample of Steeleye Span’s 1971 version of the same song. There are several excellent versions of this and The Trial of Cato’s version stands proudly amongst them.
The music was brilliant, once the sound mix improved after a shaky start, but the engagement with the audience felt a little stilted.
Having seen The Trials of Cato at a folk festival, I know they can establish a rapport with a large audience, and they certainly do so in more intimate venues.
It was clear from the queue at the merch table, and from exchanges I had with some of the audience as they left, that they had been thrilled by the music they had been treated to and delighted to find it as part of the ever-developing Spring Festival.
