Hiddenwind

Press, 14 December 1985, Page 8

Hiddenwind

Hiddenwind presented by The Arts Centre at the Great Hall, December 13, 1.10 pan. Reviewed by Phillip Norman. The great outdoors might have been a better venue than the Great Hall for the Arts Centre concert yesterday lunchtime. The contemnorary folk material presented by Hiddenwind seemed ideally suited for performance on the pavem Bright in spirit and chirpy in rhythm, it was the type of Sffithat makes pedestrians’ pause, listen awhile, and > continue on all the the group’s pre; sentation suggested tne style of a successful busking act rfhort, snappy patto-, betw«n items, no pauses,

clear confident attack, and a ready communication with those who showed interest in the sound all gave the work of Hiddenwind an immediate appeal. For the captured audience in a concert performance, however, listening became a tiring experience after a time. In spite of the compact, skilfully delivered 40-minute programme, the material carried a sameness of sound that quickly lost its freshness. The driving force of the group was the acoustic guitarist and lead vocalist, Andrew Thompson. The original material presented was of his own devising, and much of the energy of the t group’s sound stemmed a from his lively singing and guitar work

Keith Nicolson on hand drums provided the rhythmic pulse for the group. While a shade loud throughout for the unamplified voices, his percussive patterns were nonetheless tidy and tastefully drawn. Although Hiddenwind is essentially a duo act, the guest singer and guitarist, Amanda Ewing, performed in the majority of the items. Her voice blended well in the many vocal duets taken with Thompson. In a couple of the numbers, Debbie Frame on saxophone contributed discreet counterlines.

Friday’s lunchtime concert at the Arts Centre next week will be the premiere performance of the Arts Centre Treble Choir, directedWy Clifton Cook.