Firm fingers on the strings

Great evening

Windmills Craftworks, in collaboration with British Council, recently hosted the Welsh singer-songwriter and harpist Georgia Ruth and ‘Cowbois Rhos Botwnnog’, her band comprising of three brothers.

The highly-acclaimed musicians were here as part of ‘Folk Nations’ the ambitious three-year programme by British Council to support folk music from India and the UK through collaborations, performances, artist residencies and dialogue.

The first set saw only the band performing a wide range of folk, country and rock songs, many of which were in Welsh. Despite the meaning of the songs being lost in translation, they managed to engage the audience with their descriptions of the songs, Welsh accents and music with a universal appeal.

After a short break, Georgia joined them and said, “I’m told that where we are from is a bit like Assam. So you can view us as an Assamese band tonight.”

    Completely at ease with the crowd, she joked between songs and gave the story behind each one, be it the sea shanty ‘Huylio’ about sailing into the great unknown or ‘Week of Pines’, which was a personal transformational experience that she had. Other originals that she rendered included ‘Old Blue’, ‘Mapping’, ‘Winter’ and ‘A Slow Parade’.
Her beautiful voice, gentle lighting and impressive harp coupled with the band’s versatility and energy ensured that the audience had a memorable evening.

“This is the first time that I saw traditional folk music love and it was just fabulous! The harp itself was amazing with its numerous strings and she played it beautifully. I also enjoyed watching how well she gelled with the band,” said Vignesh Rao, an audience member.

Robert Newbold, an enthusiastic Welsh man in the audience, was transported back to his homeland through the music.

“The whole concert was just fantastic, especially for me! It’s the best sound I’ve heard in a while and I would like to see them perform again really soon. The music really moved me and the compositions were really deep rooted. The band was also really tight and it was interesting to know that the three of them were brothers,” he opined.

Georgia herself was all smiles after the performance. “We had a really great time playing in Bangalore for the first time and at such a lovely venue. Considering the fact that most people wouldn’t have heard of us before tonight, the response was really warm and appreciative. It was a privilege to play here,” she said.