Lewis Barfoot

The Prince Albert proved to be the ideal setting for the Lewis Barfoot Trio on a chilly Sunday evening at the end of April. The gig began with Lewis walking on through the audience, singing a traditional Gaelic "herding song" and accompanying herself with subtle tones from a Shruti box. It was an enchanting start to her set of original songs. Lewis Barfoot's music is not easy to categorise. I usually try to avoid using labels as they can obscure more than they explain but in this case a quote from her website seems helpful in understanding her oeuvre - "Folk Meets Quirk". There are certainly elements of traditional and non-traditional folk in many of her songs but there is also a great deal of original Lewis Barfoot "quirk" and highly personal observations. At times she displays a fearless and disarming honesty in her lyrics. Take these from "White Dress" (a song about the funeral of her mother) and her new single. "Are you comfy? Is it cold? Have your bones turned to dust?" However, don't get the impression that Lewis was gloomy or morbid. Far from it! She was very funny and charmed the audience with ease. Other songs included "£2,700" - the price of her wedding dress and a confessional song about turning into a "bridezilla". There were also songs about first love, encounters with a Jay bird and other observations from Lewis's life. She was joined on stage by Maria Rodriguez Reina (cello) and Matt Dibble (clarinet and keyboards) Their brilliant musicianship complimented Lewis's guitar and vocals and gave extra depth and richness to her song arrangements. One highlight of the evening was Matt Dibble's accompaniment to "Transmission Complete". The refrain from the traditional fiddle tune "Farewell to Ireland" played on the clarinet was a delight to the ears. Superb. Lewis is not planning any more gigs in the near future. She is going into the studio to perfect her album "Folkalism", scheduled for release in spring 2019. When she does return to gigging, I urge you to keep an eye out for the Lewis Barfoot Trio and if you fancy an evening of guitar, clarinet, cello, transcendent singing and beautifully crafted songs, you should go and see them. If you don't fancy these things why on earth are you reading this ?