You are hereLive Review: Chris and Kellie While at the Rock, Maltby
Live Review: Chris and Kellie While at the Rock, Maltby
When I went to the first night of the new Rock back in January, I loved the new venue so much I swore I would go to as many Friday night shows as possible. Strange how you make these promises to yourself only to break them almost immediately. It has taken me until June to return.
Chris and Kellie While was one (or should I say two) of the reasons for returning to the Rock, but the main reason was that we had been asked to do the support. It makes sense for a father and son to support a mother and daughter I suppose.
I didn't realise until I saw Chris and Kellie perform together, how stupid I have been for doubting the aesthetic qualities of two generations of one family playing together as a serious collaboration, rather than a novelty, as I have always thought of ourselves. It really does make sense. It's all about the special musical connection, and I will stop worrying about it from this day forth.
I asked Kellie how she felt about having her mum on stage with her and any drawbacks this might have. None she told me, she loves it.
Chris and Kellie have that familiar kindred connection once again, especially in their voices and their harmony singing, something that just seems to crop up again and again in family performers. For obvious reasons I was looking beyond the songs and the music on this occasion and treated the evening as a sort of anthropological study of how relatives interact on stage. Me and Liam have always wanted to do on stage exactly what we do at home, not a performance as such, but an invitation for the audience to step into our living room and hear songs played as if around the piano. Maybe I'm far to nostalgic for my own good.
Chris While has been on the scene for a good while, if you'll pardon the embarrassing pun, and I have been familiar with her work with Julie Matthews and the Albion Band over the years. But it was an inspired decision to team up with her equally talented daughter and with a repertoire of finely crafted songs, as well as a whole bunch of covers, which the duo make no apology for 'we love so many songs, it's a shame to just do our own' we can experience a wonderful evening of songs by the likes of Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan and Ron Sexsmith, as well as some lovely originals at the same time.
Allan Wilkinson
Chris and Kellie While was one (or should I say two) of the reasons for returning to the Rock, but the main reason was that we had been asked to do the support. It makes sense for a father and son to support a mother and daughter I suppose.
I didn't realise until I saw Chris and Kellie perform together, how stupid I have been for doubting the aesthetic qualities of two generations of one family playing together as a serious collaboration, rather than a novelty, as I have always thought of ourselves. It really does make sense. It's all about the special musical connection, and I will stop worrying about it from this day forth.
I asked Kellie how she felt about having her mum on stage with her and any drawbacks this might have. None she told me, she loves it.
Chris and Kellie have that familiar kindred connection once again, especially in their voices and their harmony singing, something that just seems to crop up again and again in family performers. For obvious reasons I was looking beyond the songs and the music on this occasion and treated the evening as a sort of anthropological study of how relatives interact on stage. Me and Liam have always wanted to do on stage exactly what we do at home, not a performance as such, but an invitation for the audience to step into our living room and hear songs played as if around the piano. Maybe I'm far to nostalgic for my own good.
Chris While has been on the scene for a good while, if you'll pardon the embarrassing pun, and I have been familiar with her work with Julie Matthews and the Albion Band over the years. But it was an inspired decision to team up with her equally talented daughter and with a repertoire of finely crafted songs, as well as a whole bunch of covers, which the duo make no apology for 'we love so many songs, it's a shame to just do our own' we can experience a wonderful evening of songs by the likes of Richard Thompson, Bob Dylan and Ron Sexsmith, as well as some lovely originals at the same time.
Allan Wilkinson
Northern Sky
