Live: The Staves

20^th October

Deaf Institute

8/10

The Staves are Emily, Jessica and Camilla Staveley-Taylor, three sisters from Watford who share good genes, outstanding singing and song writing skills and a mischievous sense of humour. As they celebrate the end of a short UK tour, oldest sibling Emily admits she “stole” copies of their new EP, The Blood I Bled, to sell at the gig, prompting the youngest, Camilla, to remind the sold-out crowd they still have to buy them. Middle child Jessica ponders missed merchandising opportunities: “We wanted to get plasters ready,” she says, “there was also a discussion about tampons, but our management didn’t think that was a good idea… for some reason.”

Dead & Born & Grown, their debut album, was released in 2012 and has since then established the trio with their bewitching three-part harmonies in the folk scene. Keeping up with (or in my eyes far exceeding) the typically banjo-heavy representatives of the genre, the Staves have shifted away from British whimsy and towards less polite and more passionate tunes throughout their latest album. The Blood I Bled was predominantly played at the night and none of the numerous apologies for playing so many new songs despite knowing how annoying that is were in any way needed.

With a very wide instrumental variety, from a ukulele over guitars to percussions and even a little suitcase-looking squeeze box, the Staves continue to amaze with their spectrum of vocal flavours. A fevered rhythm propels ‘Steady’ and a chiming melody winds its way through ‘Black & White’, the band’s warm sound fleshed out by a three-piece band. The combination of soft folk, country and soulful pop voices had the capacity Deaf Institute in awe of the chilly Midwestern feel but the “random fun facts”, courtesy of the three sisters’ down to earth attitudes, lightened the mood in between the songs and left everyone in the crowd with a smile on their faces. Apparently Jessica had seen a guy wearing a top hat on the train that day.