Laura Veirs, Queen Elizabeth Hall - review

On her UK tour she will be doing a few matinee shows complete with bubble machines but this was one for the grown-ups. Playing just two of her revamped folk traditionals for little ones, the rest of her set was slow, still and mesmerising.
  
With her pure, clear voice and vivid imagery in her lyrics, even some of her original material could have captured a child's imagination. In Ether Sings, "A tiny little girl ties flowers to her wrists and the bees come round to adorn her". When You Give Your Heart featured feathers, clouds, oak trees and stampeding buffalo. Carole Kaye worked its magic with a wordless chorus - just a glorious three-voice sound from Veirs, her guitarist and violinist.   

The three of them seemed perfectly at ease on stage, bantering among themselves about their "tour goals" and creating a sound that was simple and bare but allowed Veirs's voice to skip and soar. Resembling comedian Tina Fey with her sharp glasses, she used her charm to encourage audience participation that worked so well, Little Lap-Dog Lullaby had to be extended.

That bubble machine would have been the icing on the cake but as it was, there was more than enough to entertain.

Laura Veirs
Southbank Centre
Belvedere Road, Waterloo, SE1 8XX