Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * *

The rigours of the day, the small, petty and the otherwise inconsequential can mount up to the point where the meaning of life is clouded, it becomes fogged up with bruising and baffling irritation that it can offend the very sensibility of music and it can something very unexpected to soothe the day over; something that might have been missed.

For the young pair who make up the female duo Darline, Abby Inez and Cára Beard the first support slot for the sensational The Shires might have been one that may have been missed for the vast majority of people as they made their way to the o2 Academy on Hotham Street but for those who like to get their music fixes in early as the October evenings turn dark and the light quickly dissipates into the air like a moth caught out by the swinging orange lamp and the small zap of electricity, Darline were given the respect they were certainly due.

There are certainly some young bands, and even some older ones, who have only just made their way into plying their trade in front of a crowd that might look as if they are baying for blood, the Roman signal for the end of the Gladiator fight all too intimidating a prospect, yet Liverpool crowds are more than willing to encourage, willing to lend an ear when the music is being played with sincere pleasure and not just about being used as a means to rake in money. Darline were given the opportunity to shine and it was one that was taken up with a couple of smiles that were so wide and with so much effervescent care.

Sometimes adding in a second support act to the evening can leave the listener feeling overwhelmed, the lack of time afforded the other two acts leading to a bewilderment and perhaps even not fulfilling the obligations set out for being entertained for the night but as the pair strode headlong through their set and with songs such as Sad Song, Forget, the excellent I Don’t Like Girls and a very cool version of Dolly Parton’s Jolene all making the early evening swim by with control and the sense of contented relaxation, two new heroines emerged, a pair of heroes with bubbly security and the night which may have threatened being looked back upon with irritation took on a new sense of longing.

A great pair of vocalists, interesting songs and a sweet natured disposition, all adds up to a group to be swept away by.

Ian D. Hall