THE ENLIGHTENMENT CONTINUES

Well, I thought my gig year was over last Friday with The Commoners, but when something like the Mediaeval Baebes presents itself, and it’s on your doorstep, then what’s a man to do except continue the enlightenment and education with a sojourn into the variant that is considered ‘Renaissance’ or ‘Classical’ or, well ‘Mediaeval’ !

Tonight, the Mediaeval Baebes arrive at our fair city on the penultimate night of a fourteen-date tour of England. No doubt the other three nations of our fine kingdom will be blessed with their presence in due course. Their journey has taken them into some of our finest Cathedrals, but this evening they embrace a Minster – not a Cathedral, for a Bishop, we have none – for what seems like an annual pilgrimage as they have done so for the past five years at least, by all accounts.

Arriving at the venue a good forty minutes before the doors were due to open, a healthy queue had already formed, and within twenty minutes, it had stretched all the way down Glebe Street – a fair distance for those that don’t know Stoke town centre.

AN IMMEDIATE BUZZ

As the clock struck seven, a procession of Minstrels and Songstresses emerged from behind the Minster and headed through the cemetery and on to the road, where it paraded past their patiently queueing audience. This created an immediate buzz in the air which was enough to distract you from the cold.

The audience had been invited to arrive early to take part in this ceremony to awaken the flame of old and be part of a living tapestry of joyful melodic pageantry. They were also encouraged to come suitably dressed – in medieval attire – and a good number did. The pageantry had begun.

It’s worth noting that the Mediaeval Baebes began when a group of friends broke into a cemetery and sang together, clad in flowing white gowns and crowns of ivy, so they have previous when it comes to this sort of thing. Tonight, the only difference from then is that the gowns they wore were red instead of white.

As the procession finally arrived at the doors, their torches were handed aside as they quickly made their way into the Minster followed by all those that had queued for what was now the best part of an hour, into the much needed warmth, to the makeshift bar for a cheeky one to warm the cockles, and a suitable pew for the next couple of hours.

THAWED & WATERED

Thirty minutes later, with everyone thawed and watered, the lights dimmed and the silence began, to the point where you could hear a pin drop, I’m was now a little concerned as the slightest sound echoed all around – which is not good for chunky photographers that have to do a few laps to cover off different angles. Oh, and Minsters don’t have ‘tog pits…

Anyway, let’s get on with it.

The Mediaeval Baebes – Borne just shy of thirty years ago, the Mediaeval Baebes have had a number of line-up variations over time, but for now seem to be settled with Katherine, Josephine, Fiona, Marie, Sophia and Maya. They’ve released ten studio albums and toured the world on a number of occasions and been nominated for a couple of Emmys on the way. The Baebes are headed up by Katharine Blake, better known perhaps as the lead singer / song writer of 90s avant-garde band Miranda Sex Garden.

The Minstrels start to play as they head to the stage, – but only after we’ve been given full instructions as to how we should exit the building if there’s a fire, and that any alarm will be real, as there are no tests scheduled! A little bizarre, but there you go. They were followed by said Baebes who’ve changed from red outfits to white and they begin an opening triplet of December, the recent single, April and the Noel Nouvelet, the latter being sung authentically in French – no poor translations here – and a perfect way to set the scene for the evening, especially at this time of the year.

DYNAMIC EFFECT

The vocal talents of the ladies are just heaven with complex harmonies thrown around as if it’s an everyday thing, which to these ladies it probably is, and the talent doesn’t stop there as they all seemingly take turns with either a recorder, violin, hurdy gurdy, or a huge frame drum in between subtle dance routines, that see petals strewn all over the place for dynamic effect!

Even the song intros are performed as with the story of the virgin birth, narrated by Ms. Halberstam, which leads to Gaudete, I Sing of a Maiden and Ecce Mundi Gaudium (or Behold The Joy Of The World, if your Latin isn’t up to scratch).

Not so much in keeping with the mediaeval theme is the ‘merch’ appeal, deftly done by Ms. Ravenheart, who informs us that they’ve sold out of tour T-shirts but, for the first time, they have a calendar for our delectation. Oh, and that they’ll sign any or all of your purchases – and anything else that is put in front of them, for that matter. The audience will do well to remind themselves of where they are, if their thoughts stray from the innocent.

February, Love Me Broughte and Personent Hodie take us to the break, but not before Ms. Blake does a ‘merch’ appeal of her own for the new album Spinning Wheel by introducing us to her latest recorder acquisition, a rauschpfeife, (she owns every recorder size available, apparently); and a huge seven foot tall sub bass recorder. By now Ms. Ravenheart thinks she’s whittered on a bit too long and instructs her to just put it in her mouth and blow, which she does – not all seven foot of it, you understand!

A RETURN IN GREEN

There’s time for a break with CD’s, calendars and alcohol to be purchased before the Baebes return, resplendent in green this time and a set that sees Ms. Findlay tell us that she’s from the West Country, and that she drinks cider all of the day which for a moment makes me think they’re about to launch into a Wurzels cover, but fortunately not, it’s an intro for Gower Wassail.

It should not be forgotten that there’s a fine backline supporting the front five, two of which, Charlie Cawood (various stringed instruments including cittern) and Michael J York (who we know from his improvs with The Utopia Strong, on various wind instruments) now get the chance to demonstrate their own talents, before they’re joined by Ms. McCourt (cello) and Ms. Blake, now dressed in red, for a couple of tunes, before the rest of the Baebes all return also all dressed in red, together with Ben Woollacott (percussion).

The second set sees Stoke-on-Trent’s appreciation grow considerably and the applause louder and longer than before especially for There Is No Rose and Riu Riu Chiu, a Spanish Christmas Carol with everyone having their own individual vocal arrangements that seamlessly blended together and echoed all around the Minster, more so than any other song, or so it seemed. You can see why the majority of performances are in churches and cathedrals as the acoustics play a huge part and enhance the music to even greater levels of beauty.

STANDING OVATION

I should also mention one other ‘instrument’ of sorts, played by the only Baebe that doesn’t perform barefoot, for Ms. Ravenheart is allowed a sturdy pair of boots for the demonstration of flat-footing on a slab of timber during a few of the songs. Fortunately, she didn’t do herself any mischief tonight, unlike in the Summer when, at a festival, she broke her ankle dancing on the very same board she’s using tonight. Ouch.

Kinderly which means ‘according to nature’ in Middle English is the final song and at the end Stoke-on-Trent has seen and enjoyed enough to warrant a standing ovation. They weren’t about to be short-changed either and carried on said ovation until everyone had returned on stage.

Ms. Ravenheart suggests “This is all exciting, we don’t normally get to do an encore.” Methinks the lady maybe telling tales, as there are two lined up; a fabulous version of Deck The Halls, before Rabbie Burns favoured version of Auld Lang Syne finishes everything off to perfection.

ENTRANCED & UPLIFTED

Now, I have to admit, I didn’t really know what to expect from this evening as it’s something I’ve never experienced before – where have I been, you may ask – but it was a night of pure pleasure. Music taken down to its rawest form with instruments from centuries ago, vocal arrangements that were delivered to perfection and washed over you leaving you entranced, uplifted and a thousand miles away from the challenging world that we’re living in at the moment. It was pure escapism. The atmosphere was something else too and could only be created in a church or cathedral (or a Minster) as the acoustics add something that just can’t be experienced elsewhere.

This was a magical and captivating performance, an excellent way to spend a Friday evening and if I didn’t feel ‘Christmassy’ before, I certainly do now, and leave desperately hoping that the Mediaeval Baebes tour throughout the rest of the year and not just at Christmas as twelve months will be far too long to wait.

Here’s hoping.

Mediæval Bæbes: Website

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