Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating 9/10

Elfin Bow cuts a figure of radiant cool as she stands upon the stage at the Epstein Theatre, bathed not only in the glow of spotlights that change with the mood of the song, not only caught in the appreciation of an audience who have travelled the distance with her, but one who with a sense of serenity captures the mood of an album launch to its very finest interpretation, a show, a feast for the crowd, ones who are sated and comfortable, enriched by the experience of what has come before them, an offering by an artist.

It has been a joyous journey to undertake, one that has spanned a variety of gigs, a different hat for the musical occasion, whether solo in spirit or in a gathering, Elizabeth Jones has captured the imagination, she has taken on an established feel and turned it around to face the crowd with absolute creative majesty, a conductor of Folk but one that has come to also embody the spirit of Progressive, the art of telling a story within the confines and structures that surround a song.

The Epstein Theatre has played host with absolute gravitas on many occasions since it re-opened, yet there was a sensation in the air that was held differently on Elfin Bow’s launch night; they tangible taste lingering beyond the red curtain that would frame the ideal of a story teller’s night, one that went beyond showcasing the self-titled album, one that was true to its own conscious and drive.

Aside from performing songs from the new album, including the superb Sweet Jonathan, The Sleep of Reason, Edith’s Song and Grimshaw and the Fingerclaw, Elfin Bow produced a stunner by having story-teller Alice Fernbank narrate the tale of Edith Grimshaw and the inclusion of Bryony Elizabeth and Jonny Darnell as first half guests, made the evening not just an exercise in performing art but instead being able to live in the artist’s mind, to be at one with Elfin’s character and creation.

In a night where music became a piece of theatre, of stunning representation of the medium of music, Elfin Bow and her guests and fellow musicians were placed on the highest of plateaus and applauded for their presentation; a fantastic evening of the most wonderful quality.

Ian D. Hall