Martha Wainwright
Radisson SAS Hotel, Co Sligo
24/10/2009

Martha Wainwright was due to headline this year’s Sligo Live – the 3 day traditional Irish Music festival set in the West coast of Ireland. Unfortunately, due to the lack of a decently sized venue the Canadian songstress has to perform in a hotel ballroom instead. And it doesn’t do anyone any favours…if you’ve ever imagined Martha Wainwright playing at a funeral reception, it would be a bit like this.

Support comes from maestro fiddler Frankie Gavin, accompanied by the traditional bodhran and a guitar. In front of an all-seated audience, however, his performance has a rather theatrical feel and doesn’t seem to fit the mood. Just a quick mic check later and Wainwright appears on stage solo, resting her guitar on a growing baby-bump, sending the room into dead cold silence. After playing two songs, the singer proclaims that this is the weirdest place she’s ever performed, and in an attempt to ease off the clinical atmosphere makes a few jokes about the local area with intentional errors.
Even though the venue wouldn’t do justice to any talent, it’s hard to dislike Martha Wainwright tonight. Her voice is enchanting, delivering stinging lyrics about unfaithful men and chilling loneliness with an improvised combination of whispering, crying and the occasional yodel. A few minutes later she is joined onstage by her producer husband Brad Albetta on bass cello, and it proves to be an interesting contrast to the lyrics of ‘Bleeding All Over You’ and ‘Coming Tonight’. Minutes later Mr Albetta puts the piano into work and Martha breaks into a couple of French numbers changing from folk to cabaret, with ‘Bloody Mother F**king Asshole’ providing an effective climax to the performance.

Sasha Bond