Gig Times: Inlay at The Garden House, Norwich 7.10.11

On Monday I got back from a 5-day stay at my boyfriend’s student house in good old Naarch, and on the Friday we went with his housemates to see folkies Inlay play an acoustic set at the Garden House, one of the city’s many, many, many pubs (but definitely one of the good ones if your criteria, like ours, includes good food, weirdly-named ales, a huge selection of board games and at least one cat). As far as I know the gig had been planned at the last minute (the Facebook event page hastily added ‘Free’ to the title, always a clue) so it was a surprise to see that the place was heaving. And it clearly wasn’t just people coming in from the rain –in the absence of chairs, whole groups of people were sitting on the floor, primary-school-style.

Usually a stripped-down set means a couple of acoustic guitars (Cajon optional), and a generally subdued atmosphere, but this time around all four of the band’s members were present, regularly swapping instruments from accordion to Bodhran drum (I think?), banjo to slide guitar, violin to lead vocals, and making a lot of noise. Despite having no microphones in a loud, crowded pub, all four members not only managed to command the room's attention and keep impeccable timing via tiny gestures and eye contact but also sang in perfect three (sometimes four)-part harmonies, giving the impression they've been doing this for years.

In fact, Inlay do seem a bit like a band from another time, playing a mixture of traditional and original folk songs in a packed-out pub on a rainy night in Norfolk (a lot of their original songs were also written in/based on different parts of the county). Overall the gig felt natural, was heaps of fun and led more than one audience member we talked to that night to comment that they should become the Garden House’s resident band. Watch this space, Naarch-dwellers.


To listen to Inlay's self-titled EP and hear a little taster of their forthcoming album, visit http://www.inlaymusic.co.uk