Gig Review: Dermot Henry At Folklore

28 Apr

Dermot Henry shows a star on the rise with an intimate show at Folklore Hoxton and lets us know he’s got a good thing going.

There are few venues more intimate in London than Folklore Hoxton, which makes a perfect backdrop for folk artist Dermot Henry, who overcame the tricker Wiper & True stage at Outer Town earlier in the month in Bristol – wowing a crowd that had a lot of casual brewery-goers mixed in with festival revellers. This was his chance to cater to an audience that were just there to see him; and having sold out – he steps up and knocks it out of the park; showing why he’s earned bookings at prestigious tastemaker festivals like The Great Escape.

First up is singer-songwriter from Bath via London; Scarlett Loran, who has no released music out yet but has the power to fill and command a room from the off with a shared vulnerability about leaving Bath for the big city, saying goodbye to friends and learning to love the capital. Moonshine is beautiful, about learning to trust with a moon behind – Loran jokes, as constant as the moon that adorns the wall backdrop of Folklore that makes it seem even more intimate, with the mood lighting (and the heat!) than it already is; her lyrics adding gentle instrumentals that build in complexity in its meanings as the music finds its grove. “moonshine / I saw you fill up the skyline / to make me less scared” allows the comforting enveloping of a sense of familiarity; be that in someone close to home; or the constant of the moon around you.

Henry takes the stage and you feel his ability to command a crowd present here as they wait for his lyrics to do the talking for him. He has jokes: the pole centre-stage he encourages to audiences to use to dance should they wish; and invites the audience for a country two step that has the whole venue moving midway through the set. There’s even time for a brief comedy special with a long-term friend, plenty of bird-based humour that allows Henry to fine tune his guitar midway through. I adore the quieter songs present on his EP Aiming Torches At the Sun, which he plays largely in full here – arriving 15 May; just in time for the Great Escape itself. Little Rib is a love song – slower and more moving than the catchier My Favourite Book is One I’ve Read A Bunch.

It’s a clear rebelling and embracing the emotional core of indie folk – you don’t really need more than an acoustic guitar (though this time, he brings a very talented band) and an ability to story tell to craft a room – there are shades of Bristol favourite Myer U Clark in his improvision, and Dove Ellis’ minimalistic way to appear much larger than the music might suggest. The lyrics across the length of the set feel earnest and authentic to the core – halfway through there’s talk on inspiration and how he wishes he could arrive as fully formed as the idea of Ennio Morricone; and when you have someone citing legends like The Good, the Bad and the Ugly composer in his lyrics you know you’re in good hands – this is well researched, meticulous and the ability to think outside the pre-planned algorithm that pop has tapped into.

Henry is the kind of artist you’re likely to wonder into a room to take a chance on and be hooked and fall under his spell instantly: already sporting an EP collab with Dom Monks, whose credits include Big Thief and Laura Marling; and there are touches of both on Good Thing Going, his debut single – showing that he’s very much got a good thing going right here; as evidenced by his recent Roundhouse support for Jacob Alon; bringing on a band for the bulk of the set but this is one that he eschews them for: commanding the room all on his own.

With talent like this it’s easy to see Henry leading the indie folk revolution that is quietly bubbling up beneath the surface of the DIY music scene – look at artists like pollyfromthedirt and Girl in the Year Above sparking a resurgence as of late in the wake of artists like Madra Salach and The New Eves – Folklore Hoxton could be about to add another “I was there the night they played” to its number.

Live dates right here.