The Staves’ Autumn tour saw them perform at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester on Saturday 2nd of November 2013. Whilst the venue is perhaps more familiar amongst classical musicians, the sisterly trio from Watford proved that they were more than at home in their North Western surroundings.
The sell-out crowd, representing a plethora of age groups, bore witness to a truly mesmerising performance from the folk collective, who were joined by a live drummer and electric guitarist. From the moment they sprung onto stage the Staveley-Taylor sisters exhibited their wealth of talent that has seen them progress from open-mic night regulars to being capable of filling venues such as London’s iconic Shepherd’s Bush Empire.
One of the advantages of having three singers rather than a soloist is the ability to explore a vocal range that, when combined, gives the group’s songs harmonic depth that is only matched by their poignant lyrics. It will have been clear to everyone that has seen The Staves perform over the course of this tour that they have a real engagement with their own songs, especially when compared to most of what’s churned out in the charts these days.
As well as songs that the band have been performing for some time (which went down a treat), the trio treated the assembled spectators to a glimpse of future releases. ‘Steady’ once again exhibited the sisters’ ability to create a masterpiece, with vocal layering playing a huge part. As the group face the prospect of developing the so-called ‘difficult second album’, they look in good stead to not only smash it, but assert themselves on the wider UK music scene.
The ovation that met The Staves as they signalled their exit from the stage went to show the crowd’s adoration for the trio’s music and performance that night. They will surely only go from strength to strength based on their current development and evidence of future releases.
James also managed to speak to Jess, one of the triplets. You can find the interview here.
