Gig review: THE PORTRAITS & DOM PRAG, Harwell Village Hall, Friday 18 March 2022

Another lovely little venue literally on my doorstep, where Big Ginger Tom Music have been putting on monthly folk themed gigs for a few years now. Of course the pandemic brought a halt to these, but credit to the husband and wife team behind Big Ginger Tom Music as they continue to put on gigs here and have a roster of artists they book for shows over the UK. Along with the artists, venues and fans, the promoters are a vital part of the live music scene and should be recognised more for the sterling work they do.

Right, soapbox away and onto the music where up and coming folk artists Dom Prag started the evening off with a very enjoyable set of traditional folk tunes, plus a couple of his own songs from his recently released album ‘Needle & Thread’.

Opening with his own reworking of ‘Van Dieman’s Land’, it soon becomes apparent what joy he is getting from performing live again. His between song anecdotes and explanations of each song’s subject give the evening more sparkle and value. Dom Prag is a superb guitarist and mesmerising to watch as he creates wondrous melodies from the strings, as his rendition of ‘Lovely William’ showed.

His own song ‘The Shoemender’ is well received by the audience as its subject matter about the dying retail centre of a typical town rings true wherever you live.

A deserved encore saw him sing his favourite song, the Richard Thompson classic ‘1952 Black Vincent Lightning‘. An artist who Dom Prag certainly takes after in his guitar playing and dexterity.

Fleet of finger, fine in voice, Dom Prag proved that folk music is alive and well, and in good hands.

The Portraits are husband and wife duo Jeremy & Lorraine, who have been making music under the Portraits name since 2006 and GRTR!’s Pete Whalley is a fan, having favourably reviewed a couple of their earlier releases.

Joined by French violinist Vincent Imbert, the Portraits played a set of songs, that whilst tackling at times difficult and emotional subjects, their songwriting and melodies always gave an air of hope and joy in hearing the music.

Playing two sets – as they and the audience need an interval for liquid refreshment and to help swell the coffers to keep these gig nights going – highlights came thick and fast. Personal highlights included ‘Monochrome’, ‘Penniless Porch’ – which has an interesting back story and is a place in Wells, the couple’s current home town.

On ‘The Cloud’ they tackled depression and mental health, possibly not typical folk song topics but certainly current and skilfully done. ‘Harmonise’ as the title suggests relied on harmony, whilst ‘The Rest Of Time’ was given a heartfelt performance.

The Portraits rounded off their second set with a cover of Phil Oakey and Giorgio Moroder’s hit ‘Together In Electric Dreams’. For this they added a pre-recorded vocal from their daughter, who wasn’t able to join them for this gig, plus choral parts used in their original version which made the UK singles charts. They were worried it might not work but it did.

Two talented acts and what a joy to be back witnessing and enjoying live music again. It is one thing we mustn’t take for granted as the world of music and arts needs our support more than ever in these challenging times.

Review by Jason Ritchie

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

Since early 2020 Josh has been entertaining us with exclusive monthly live sessions, streamed via Facebook.
In 2023 he signed a recording deal with Sony in Canada and released a new single on 15 September.

Next session: Sunday 1 December

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UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 29 October 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 11 November 2024

ARCANE MOON Hello Sun (indie)
S8NT ELEKTRIC XTC (Long Branch Records)
ARCANA KINGS Here We Go (Curtain Call Records)
KLOGR face The Unknown (Zeta Factory)
BEYOND UNBROKEN Dance With The Dead (FiXT)
REVENGIN Decadent Feeling (Wormholedeath)

Featured Albums w/c 11 November 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2003-2023 (Singer Songwriter)