St Matthias Church, Stoke Newington \ Christ Church Centre, Henley On Thames & South Street Arts, Reading (September 28th \ 29th & October 15th 2023)

There is nothing like a blue light dash to A&E to sharpen your sense of reality and as The Ramones told us ‘touring, touring is never boring \ especially with your favourite girl \ touring, touring all around the world’ although I am sure Kathryn Williams could have done with a little less drama during her 20 date jaunt around the UK with Polly Paulusma. The pair ditched plans for individual solo tours to join together and perform songs they had collaborated on as well as individual sets.

Polly opted to roadtest fresh material for her next album with two rotating setlists so I was glad to catch a couple of shows. As I was unfamiliar with her work, they were all new to me and her writing and wit immediately captured my attention. ‘Paper Cathedrals’ had a beautiful melody and a lyric that instantly caught in my brain ‘I’m your rapt congregation & you’re my hard lesson to learn \ so pass me the matches & let’s watch it all burn’ – Polly said she was pleased to be playing it in a church.

A love letter to wild swimming was suitably down with nature and Polly’s voice reaches for the rafters as she praises the moon waxing and waning, the river ripple, bends and it all gets a bit fruity. ‘Perfect 4\4’ from her first (nearly 20 year old) album ‘Scissors In My Pocket’ was perfectly gospel for the surroundings but the new songs were equal to any fan favourites. Already made a mental bookmark to keep an eye out for her next album

Kathryn found her heart beating like a rabbit one night early part of the tour so despite Polly suggesting it could just be a panic attack so she should watch the telly and have some porridge (which as a kind and suggestable type she considered) took a ride to the emergency room. As a long time panic attack expert of 30 years standing I swear that my last words on this planet will be ‘its not a fucking panic attack, I know what they are l-urk’ as a massive heart attack takes me. I hope Kathryn gets a clean bill of health. Yet the experience clearly gave her an appreciation of the precious nature of live music and drew her and Polly together in sisterhood.

I felt a real edge in her performance of tracks from her latest album ‘Night Drives’ with ‘Chime Like A Bell’ with the lines ‘When lovе hits your heart, it can crack the shell‘ perhaps gaining extra meaning. Kathryn later explains that she has noticed how many of her songs have the word ‘heart’ in the lyrics and title. Her vocal on ‘Answer In The Dark’ has a depth and uneasy feeling as if trying to work through some inner turmoil. In Henley, sort of local Ed Harcourt joins her to play keys on ‘Sequins from 2013’s ‘Crown Electric’ which is one of her finest songs for me and its a beautiful moment. Kathryn ends her set with acapella loop tapestry ‘Little Black Numbers’ which climaxes with a multitude of Kathryn’s filling the air harmonising. In the stunning St Matthias Church the effect is truly magical.

On the last night of the tour in Reading, before the always moving ‘Beating Heart’ (there’s that word again) Kathryn reflected on the tour, how it bought Polly & her closer together and what fragile beings we are. That she finds playing live the clearest feeling of living in the now, that this moment won’t come again & how precious that has come to be. I recall early shows where Kathryn had panic attacks and really struggled with her anxiety, sitting down for fear of falling. The fact she has come to terms with live performance and continues to tour is testament to her inner strength and thirst to share her music

They encore with Polly & Kathryn sharing some of their co-written songs – including the earworm-tastic plea to ‘sign the mailing list’- with ‘The Big Sky’ a highlight that gave the tour its name. In London they were joined by Michele Stodart from The Magic Numbers to play a track they wrote together ‘Breaking Even’.

With a brace of new songs ready to record for Polly plus Kathryn’s album with Withered Hand & a new solo album in 2024 hopefully it wont be too long til we see them on stage again.

Oh and did they mention….they have a mailing list?