Linda Moylan w/ The Lookout – Banbury Folk Club: Live Review

By John Barlass on 6th June 2026 • ( Leave a comment )

We’ve loved her albums, and here was a chance to see her in person. Linda Moylan – ‘The Lady With The Voice ‘- travelled to Banbury, Oxfordshire on a wet Wednesday evening. And she – and her friends – left a full house grasping for superlatives…

BANBURY FOLK CLUB

It was my first visit to Banbury Folk Club – an omission of monstrous proportions on my part. You see, I live just a short hop up the road and I don’t really have an excuse for not popping along more regularly to a club that really is quite something. For a start, there’s the location – right at the heart at what Dave Pegg has often referred to as “The Folk-Rock Belt.” Then, there’s the venue; the club is held in a marquee annexe to the plush, attractive, Cromwell Lodge Hotel, just a cock horse’s stride from the legendary Banbury Cross.

Most importantly, there’s the quality of performer that the club is able to attract, seemingly with enviable ease. It was the amazing Linda Moylan (more of her very shortly…) that enticed me to venture down this evening, but a cursory viewing of the club’s forthcoming attractions reveals such established favourites such as Plumhall, annA rydeR, AJ & Peggy, Chris Leslie, Gerry Colvin, Scott Doonican and Three Idle Women. And that list is just a sample of what’s in store. I’ll be back – that’s for sure.

BEGUILING VOICE

But – back to the show in question. We at At The Barrier have been staunch supporters of Linda Moylan for quite some time. As long ago as November 2021, we were bowled over by her bottomless well of self-penned, thought-provoking songs, her remarkable ability for interpreting traditional songs in way that makes you believe that you’re hearing the definitive version of the song for the first time and, particularly by Linda’s beguiling voice. It’s a voice that would send shivers down the spine of a committed invertebrate. The prospect of seeing Linda perform her songs live was, quite simply, too good to miss.

THE LOOKOUT

But, first things first. With another example of fine programming, the good people that operate Banbury Folk Club had invited local band, The Lookout, to get tonight’s show on the road, and what a good idea THAT was! The Lookout are a young 4-piece outfit that came together about a year ago. Phoebe Brogden (vocals, ukulele, keyboard), Brendan Winward (guiutar, bass, vocals), Jonathan Yeap (keyboards, bass, guitar, vocals) and Chris Knibbs (drums) play a mix of covers and self-composed material and cover an array of styles that takes in folky pop, light soul and funk. They’re an accomplished bunch of musicians and, in Phoebe, they’ve got a vocalist with tremendous potential.

The Lookout kicked off their short set with Know It All, one of their own songs. the sound was pleasant and soft, with Brendan’s guitar and Jonathan’s keyboard simmering nicely behind Phoebe’s vocal. It was good to see how each member of the band could switch easily from one instrument to another and they made their first switch as Phoebe took over on keys and Jonathan moved to the bass for the bouncy Sedona. (A word of advice: perhaps consider standing the bass closer to the keyboard for the next gig, guys. Jonathan must have racked up about 14,000 steps during the course of the show, moving from one to the other…)

RACKING UP THE STEPS…

Jonathan and Phoebe were both back on the starting grid for Villain, a chugging rocker, illuminated by some nice 3-part harmony vocals, before Phoebe led the way with a stunning vocal interpretation of KT Tunstall’s Suddenly I See. And her vocal delivery of Stray Dog – a song of Phoebe’s that she performed as her ‘audition’ to the band – was equally excellent. A highlight of the band’s set, Stray Dog is a funky affair, and I particularly enjoyed Chris’s persistent, shuffling drumbeat.

Jonathan switched back to the bass (a few more steps in the bank…) and the band did full justice to their soulful version of Men I Trust’s Show Me How and, suddenly, it was time to go. They concluded their set with the excellent Tread, their newest composition. Jonathan moved across to lead guitar for this one, with Brendan taking over on bass – and he impressed with a few runs up the neck that even John Entwistle would have been proud of!

The Lookout: look out for them. And they’ll be back under the auspices of Banbury Folk Club on Saturday 3rd October, when they perform on the outside stage at Banbury’s annual Canal Weekend.

SPELLBOUND

And, so, to the main event…

And, you know, I thought that I’d prepared myself so well… I’d spent a good deal of time listening to Linda’s albums – The Merchant (2021) and The Fool (one of At The Barrier’s 2024 Albums of the Year picks) and I thought I was ready. But NOTHING can serve as adequate preparation for hearing THAT voice coming from the lips of Linda herself.

“Finally, I get to be in what seems to be a wedding tent,” joked Linda as she stepped forward, accompanied by her comrades for the evening – Ian Montague (guitar) and Rebecca Mileham (violin). She didn’t waste too much time on small talk, though and, after a brief introduction, we were off onto the high seas, aboard The Brig Hannah. Linda had the room immediately spellbound, as she related her story of the fated voyage from Ireland to Quebec and issued her stern rebuke to the incompetent Captain Shaw for his desertion.

RING THEM BELLS…

The Cromwell Lodge Hotel sits directly over the road from the Parish Church of St Mary and, as we discovered, Wednesday is the church’s evening for bell-ringing practice. and we were, of course, in a marquee. So the sound of the bells came over loud and clear. But, they didn’t distract from the events in the club; to the contrary, they even added an extra touch of romance, as Linda and friends moved on to Burn Me Blue, a favourite song from The Fool. the sound was perfectly balanced – Linda’s voice soared and Rebecca’s violin sang so sweetly that Linda was moved to remark: “It seems like another voice!”

I have previously remarked that Linda’s voice: “…switches effortlessly between the sultry, the bluesy, the smoky and the unbelievably sweet – sometimes during the same song.” and, with Black is the Colour, she explored the full gamut. Black is the Colour is a traditional song, but Venus in the Dirt, another highlight of The Fool, was written by Linda, together with tonight’s guitarist, Ian Montague – and Linda’s voice oozed Celtic mystique and she sang. The bells of St Mary’s continued to ring out – appropriately, as it happens – as the trio moved on to the haunting Two Hands – “A song with ‘churchy’ bits – very Banbury,” commented Linda. And the extra icing on the cake? Rebecca’s soothing violin and her angelic light-touch vocal harmonies.

DIMMING OF THE DAY

And, after that particular piece of vocal dexterity, it was only fair that Rebecca should be given a shot in the spotlight – an opportunity that she took with relish, to take the lead vocal on her song, Holloway – a delightful number about the footpaths that are worn into the ground by the passage of walkers. The 3-part harmonies in the song’s chorus were gorgeous.

I’ve always been strongly of the opinion that no-one, but no-one, can sing Dimming of the Day as wonderfully as Linda Thompson. That’s an opinion that I’ve had to revise, because Linda Moylan’s interpretation of the song was utterly breathtaking. Rebecca sat down to listen – Ian’s laid-back guitar was the only accompaniment necessary – and, as Linda sang, I swear I felt the Earth move. I’d have thought that Dimming of the Day would be impossible to follow, but Linda and the gang pulled it off with Dutch Hours – yet another gem from The Fool. Linda reflected the drama of the song’s lyrics with her body language and the sheer passion of her delivery.

As we know, Linda is a specialist in reinterpreting well-known traditional songs and making the songs her own and, perhaps, her finest example of that skill is her rework of Star of The County Down. Ian harmonised on the song’s chorus, Rebecca’s fiddle added to the Celtic dreamscape and, as we headed into the the interval, we knew: NOBODY sings this song like Linda Moylan…

BRIGHT LIGHTS

We’d already had our senses fried by one version of a Richard Thompson song, so why not try another? Linda’s choice of I Want to See the Bright Lights Tonight to open part two of her set was an inspired one and members of the audience sang along – potentially an act of sacrilege when Linda Moylan is at the mic… Auld Drag – another Linda/Ian co-write was next. Linda lost the story for a few seconds, but she picked up the thread – not seamlessly, but with a good deal of self-depreciating humour, helped along by Rebecca’s lovely violin flourishes.

Linda’s talent for redefining traditional songs was given another outing with Fare Thee Well. Rebecca plucked her violin and Ian’s touch on his guitar was super-light. Nothing more was necessary. Shadowboxing was inspired by her father’s activities at the local Seamen’s Mission near the family’s East London home, so there’s little doubt that Linda was singing from the heart as she delivered the song – and Rebecca’s violin added still more magical sparkle.

JOHNNY CASH? ERIC BELL?

The evening had already featured several rewarding dives into The Fool but, arguably, the best was still to come. Hide Me London (“My Johnny Cash song,” says Linda) is a vibrant standout track, done to perfection here with the help of some glorious 3-part harmonies, and Irish Love Song, the album’s opening track is, perhaps, the ultimate ‘hook-me-in’ anthem.. It’s probably the song that, more than any other, convinced me that Linda Moylan is someone very, very special.

Sadly, Linda and Ian had to make a quick getaway to ensure that they arrived back in London ahead of the impending tube strike but, happily, there was just enough time for a rousing send-off. We were invited to sing along with folk club favourite Wild Mountain Thyme and we did – eventually and cautiously – because the harmonised voices of Linda and Rebecca didn’t really need any extra input from us. And – to finish: Whiskey in the Jar – what else? And this time, we didn’t hold back! Oh, and to cap it all, Rebecca had Eric Bell’s Thin Lizzy guitar parts off pat, as she played them on her violin.

I’ve waited such a long time to see Linda Moylan perform her songs in person. The wait has been worth every minute – I’m hoping that the next show rolls around very soon!