Sarah Darling The Union Chapel

Sarah Darling

The Union Chapel, Islington

2 December 2019

The Union Chapel has long been one of my favourite venues, ever since my first visit there to see Patty Griffin back in 2013.

It is such a remarkable and beautiful venue for an evening of fine music and the atmosphere is particularly appropriate for a Christmas-themed show.

There is always a wonderful atmosphere in the Union Chapel; it is a case finding your own pew space and then enjoying not just the music but also the ever-changing light and its effect on the chapel lighting.

Shows promising special guests often produce nothing of the sort, but this one did deliver; the guests included The Wandering Hearts and, even more famously, the hugely popular Ward Thomas (I have now seen them four times by accident).

The evening featured a fine mixture of country, Americana and Christmas music, with Sarah as the lynch pin of the occasion. Sarah’s own songs - such as Blue Sky, Call Me, Fire and Talk About the Weather - rubbed shoulders with the covers such as River and Landslide (both with Ward Thomas) and, from the festive side of the tracks, Santa Baby, Winter Wonderland and Silent Night.

It was a lovely evening of warmth and music. Hopefully Sarah Darling will tour in 2020 as I would very much like to see her again.

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