United Kingdom Music at Paxton – Summer Festival of Chamber Music 2024 [2] – A Modern Folk Music Programme: Beth Malcolm (singer, keyboard), Heather Cartwright (guitar). Marquee, Paxton House, Scottish Borders, 20.7.2024. (MC)
Music at Paxton is where experienced performers of international reputation unite with young performers of emerging talent. Appearing at Music at Paxton – Summer Festival for the first time the partnership of Beth Malcolm and Heather Cartwright set up in the large marquee on the lawn.
The duo clearly relished giving their own contemporary take on Scottish inspired folk songs either traditional, present-day and self-written. I was interested to read that the ‘songwriting explores themes of female friendship, growth and quarter-life crises’. The duo appears at several festivals including Celtic Connections and enjoys playing for new audiences especially with the outreach charity Live Music Now Scotland to bring first-class, live music to people throughout Scotland.
A singer-songwriter and keyboard player from Perthshire, Beth Malcolm studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. Notably Malcolm received a ‘Danny’ award at Celtic Connections 2019 and was named as BBC MG ALBA Scots Singer of the Year 2022. That same year Malcolm with the song John Riley was one of the featured singers on the Niteworks album A’ Ghrian. A year on and Malcolm who has described herself as a ‘singer of stories’ released her debut album Kissed and Cried. Heather Cartwright is a guitarist and songwriter from Carlisle who learned her instrument at school. At the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, she was awarded a first-class honours degree in traditional guitar. It seems like Cartwright has gained a lot of valuable performance experience in a short pace of time.
There is more than one way of performing traditional music and applying a new perspective was an approach that worked splendidly for Malcolm and Cartwright. To introduce each song the important interactions with the audience were largely given by Malcolm. Whilst playing her keyboard Malcolm looked composed giving a convincing vocal display. Her captivating voice had a smooth lower and middle register, achieving her high notes with relative ease. Singing only infrequently in the set Cartwright demonstrated her guitar skills with accomplishment.
Standing out was Oh, Dear Me (The Jute Mill Song) a song written by amateur singer and violinist Mary Brooksbank (1897-1978). A trade union activist Brooksbank had first hand experienced as a child working in Dundee’s jute mills and later bringing up children on meagre wages. Given the subject Oh, Dear Me is quite a surprisingly gentle song where Malcolm and Cartwright communicated an impactful social message regarding the dangerous mills and their inadequate working conditions. Worthy of singling out too was John Martyn’s hit May You Never from 1971. Malcolm and Cartwright seemed at one with the song renowned for being ‘beautiful in its classic simplicity’.
This was a well-balanced set of a consistently high quality. I could have picked out any song from the play list and enjoyed it, absolutely. Time just flew by as Beth Malcolm and Heather Cartwright served up performances that were both uplifting and engaging.
Michael Cookson
Set List:
Edward – Traditional, arranged Beth Malcolm and Heather Cartwright
The Shepherd – Anaïs Mitchell
Don’t Know Why – Jesse Harris (after Norah Jones version)
The Beautiful Gortree – Tommy Peoples (no information of writer of lyrics)
A man who loves the worst of me – Beth Malcolm
Battle of Harlaw – Traditional
Oh, Dear Me (The Jute Mill Song) – Mary Brooksbank
The Glasgow Song – Beth Malcolm and Heather Cartwright
The Worker’s Song – Ed Pickford
May You Never – John Martyn