Present were (l-r): SM, Julian Allinson, Brian Ellis, Brian Whitaker, John Heeley and Norman Stephenson.
Sara Dennis introduced Daniel Pettit for the first set. Sara provided the backing vocals too.
His trademark 'flame' guitar was very much in evidence.
Dan's last song was 'Above the Taj Mahal', one his catchiest of all and a very good finale.
It was all change for the second set, with Dan providing the backing for a showcase of Sara's songs from 'Time and Tide'. 'Life is Hard' kicked off the set in style.
A rare shot of the three performers together. Andy Broderick was appreciating the great sound.
'Emily Said', Sara's own song about Emily Dickinson, was next. It is one of the stand out tracks from 'Time and Tide'.
'Weeping Willow' and 'Crazy Man Michael' followed. 'I do like a good murder ballad', confessed Sara, introducing the latter. Another murder ballad - the upbeat 'Pretty Polly' - was next, with it's ghostly, supernatural overtones.
I had to miss the bulk of their performance due to uncooperative bus timetables, but a major feature and Andy, Ray and their work is in the pipeline.
The Christmas Tree just outside the library added to the evening's feel-good factor. It was an uplifting event with an excellent combination of artistes and a promise of a lot more to come.
The banter between the songs highlighted their different personalities and respective outlook on life. Jon Anderson played up the spiritual side of his inspiration while Rick Wakeman specialised in bringing things down to earth with a bump, with talk of 'getting my runner beans in' and prostrate problems.
The Sage was full; I was fortunate to have front row seats in what was clearly a sold-out show. Crowd pleasers came early in the set, such as the toe-tapping Lucinda Williams number, 'Passionate Kisses'.
Of course, this was not merely a greatest hits show and songs from 'The Age Of Miracles' were the main focus of attention.
'I Have a Need for Solitude' is probably my favourite song from 'The Age of Miracles'. In a way, it highlights the contrast between Mary's home life and her world of touring. Despite enjoying the travelling and playing, she admitted looking forward to returning home to the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia and greeting each and every one of her cats and dogs with a big kiss on the mouth. 'So if you ever come and visit me, you can be sure of a big kiss on the mouth...and I might kiss you too', she quipped.
Tift Merritt returned with the band for a stirring encore, bopping around the stage 'playing' the tambourine as if it was the main instrument.
It was not so easy to get the camera to focus on Tift as she rocked along!
The concluding song was Tift's 'Another Country', with her piano skills complimenting Mary's acoustic guitar very nicely indeed.
'The Banoffee Pie Tour Collective' is an unusual name but one which manages to perfectly sum up exactly what the events are all about. It's a number of artistes getting together for a tour (Newcastle, Manchester and London) with the added twist of a free piece of banoffee pie for every member of the audience.
The musical genre is folk (or alt-folk, or even post-folk…). There's more on the genesis of the venture here.
I was fortunate to be able to make it to the first leg of the tour on Bonfire Night in Newcastle. The fireworks against the night sky gave the evening a celebratory air before the show had even begun.
The Cumberland Arms proved to be an ideal venue for the collective. The upstairs, intimate performance room offered a small stage and close-as-you-like seats, complete with a bar at the other end. There was a good turn out and the intimacy of the evening was further enhanced by a good percentage of the audience sitting cross-legged on the floor, conjuring up the ambiance of the bygone beatnik years.
Laura Kirby was the compere for the evening and she started the show by introducing Matt Stalker & Fables, who played a very pleasant set of quirky, acoustic ballads.
Stand out track: 'Welded to Me, Barnacle to Bow'.
Manchester's Samson & Delilah were next up. I don't think I've ever seen so many instruments used by one group: guitars, drums, accordion, keyboards, mandolin, double bass, a flute and probably one or two more things all featured during their extraordinary, varied set.
They played a number a couple of songs from their debut album and several from their forthcoming new one.
Samson & Delilah's musical virtuosity was never in doubt at any point during their set.
Stand out track: 'Back Dog'.
Newcastle's 'home' act, Bridie Jackson, followed soon after Samson and Delilah. Regular visitors to Marsh Towers will know that we are currently running a series of interviews with Bridie (please see here for further details).
Bridie brings an incredible intensity to her songs. Her extraordinary, haunting voice and deep, poetic lyrics create a very unusual listening experience.
It's all challenging, thought-provoking and sometimes even bordering on the uncomfortable (in a good way!).
Stand out track: Aliens.
Kid Kirby's acoustic set was the shortest of the evening, but by then it was getting quite late. Nevertheless, it maintained the high standard of the evening and the softer sound brought the show to a fitting conclusion.
It really was a wonderful musical evening and everyone genuinely seemed to really enjoy themselves, whether they were on the stage or in the audience.
