Laura Cantrell at Union Chapel

Laura Cantrell
Sam Semple
Union Chapel, 10 October 2013

So tonight I was sitting in the warm of the Union Chapel, with the wind and rain blasting outside, drinking hot chocolate and listening to soothing and sweet country music. Ah, I thought, this is heaven. I know I'm getting old: I used to judge how good a gig was by how many bruises I had the next day and now I am beyond thrilled to be sitting and sipping on hot drinks. It helps too that the Union Chapel is one of the most beautiful venues in London: it's warm and intimate yet, thanks to its domed roof, has the acoustics of a much larger place. Add to that the atmospheric light from the candles and the fading light through the stained glass windows and it's a pretty magical place especially when the music on the stage is good.

And the music tonight is more than good, really you couldn't ask for better than Laura Cantrell. It's hard to believe she's a Wall Street banker by day (hey, pretty much every musician needs a decent day job these days), because she looks like she's walked straight out of an old photo of the Grand Ole Opry's stage in its heyday and she sounds just as authentic. It's clear that Cantrell's music is inspired by a time when country music found beauty in simplicity, you can hear it on her records for sure but even more so live when things are really stripped back. Like the last time I saw her a couple of years back, she's once again accompanied by Mark Spencer on guitar and piano (they seem particularly thrilled by the piano that lives there and make use of it on a few songs). Like Gillian Welch and Patty Griffin, that's all she needs to bring out the purity and the heart and soul of the songs. 

This short tour comes on the back of her first album of new material in eight years (an EP and a covers album of Kitty Wells tunes came in between though) called No Way There From Here and she gives us some of the finest tracks from the new record (which is quietly brilliant), including one she called her favourite, Starry Skies. My favourite though is probably Can't Wait, which begins "singing in the kitchen with the radio on...", it's hard not to sing along, even if it's just in your head to that. There was also, not surprisingly, a nice amount of songs from her previous albums, such as Do You Ever Think Of Me and Not The Tremblin' Kind to her superb cover of Lucinda Williams' Letters, which featured on 2005's Humming By The Flowered Vine.

Speaking of covers, although Cantrell is undoubtedly a fine songwriter, some of the best moments tonight are her amazing interpretations of other people's songs. In particular she speaks with affection of country queen Kitty Wells, who of course she dedicated a whole album to and who died just last year at the grand old age of 91, and sings her classic track Making Believe beautifully. She also spoke with warmth about other Opry legends who inspired her such as Jeannie Seely and Jeannie Pruitt, "the Jeannies", who are still alive and who she has been lucky enough to have interviewed. She tells an amusing story about their disdain for current country music acts, one of whom had no clue who Kitty Wells was. "Don't worry honey, you won't be around long enough to get varicose veins!" they told her. It's clear whose company Cantrell would prefer to be in.

She also mentions legendary singer, songwriter and producer, Cowboy Jack Clement, who only died in August and who Cantrell actually performed with in New York (and who patted her on the head like a little girl, saying "Ain't she pretty?"). Clement wrote so many classic hit songs during his time, songs we all love that you and I probably don't even realise he wrote, but tonight Cantrell sings just one, Just Someone I Used To Know, made famous by Porter Wagoner and Dolly Parton back in the day, and its fair to say that Cantrell does the song justice. It actually gives me chills. This is the kind of country I grew up with and its so lovely and moving to hear it tonight sung the way its supposed to be.

Another cover which sounds tremendous but comes from as far away from Cowboy Jack Clement as could be is Laura's version of the New Order track Love Vigilantes. I've always loved her cover since it first appeared on her EP Trains And Boats And Planes and whenever I hear it I find it incredible that the New Order version isn't the cover because it sounds so perfect as a country song. I don't think I will ever tire of it and tonight it sounds particularly wonderful with Spencer playing along on piano. The duo end things on a more traditional note, singing an upbeat Yonder Comes A Freight Train and a good time was had by all. After all, there's no doubt that Laura Cantrell is really one of a kind.

The support act tonight was enjoyable enough, a singer-songwriter type called Sam Semple, who apparently has had enjoyed success as a songwriter but his new record, Mystery Songs, is his first album. Stephen Fry recently said his debut had been "haunting me for weeks", tonight he fits the acoustic atmosphere fine and sings a set of pleasant and mature songs. So far they haven't been haunting me but I will take Fry's word for it.