Christina Alden and Alex Patterson

In their third very welcome visit to the Carrington Triangle Christina and Alex again brought their unique blend of contemporary and traditional music to a very appreciative audience. In a small club like ours without a PA their intimate and engaging delivery comes across beautifully. Christina sings in a lovely pellucid, plangent voice and Alex closely harmonises in intertwining countertenor – although they sing English music they told me that they have been influenced by Americana style harmony singing. Christina usually plays fingerpicking guitar in her inimitable eight to the bar strumming technique while Alex adds gentle melodic texture on the fiddle. This was how they began the first set, soon settling in to one of their most famous songs The Mountain Hare. Many of their songs are inspired by animals or nature and this was a feature of their performance tonight.

I really enjoyed their interpretation of older songs — for instance, Christina played clawhammer banjo and Alex his 1950s Martin tenor guitar for My Flower, My Companion and Me and Sing John Ball, both given a distinctive Appalachian flavour. They followed this with Hunter, about a magical bond between a brown bear and a grey wolf, and then the beautiful A Hundred Years Ago which celebrates the birth of their daughter Etta. When they sing together, Christina and Alex often look at each other and it seems to the audience as if we are being included in intimate, emotional moments. This is one of the unique aspects of their performance.
High spots in the second set included The Greenland Shark about ‘the oldest living vertebrate on earth’ that lives up to 500 years! ‘500 years I swam these seas, calling, calling for you’. Safe Travels, the title track of their new album, and Our House both celebrate the importance of human community in our lives and were a fitting finale to the evening. For encore they did a rousing version of the shanty Blow Boys Blow with Alex playing spirited bluegrass style fiddle – great stuff! 
Mike Wareham