The Staves at Whelan’s on the 25th of November 2012

On a sodden night in Dublin, a trio of sisters known as The Staves arrive,  armed with beauty and melody; they hope to warm the wintry mood.

After what many felt was a slight delay to take stage, Emily, Jessica and Camilla Stavely-Taylor eventually settled themselves and opened their set with The Motherlode. As if by magic, the entire crowd lost their voice. No more talk of work tomorrow, no more whisper of senseless rumour, no throats left to clear. Instead, a hypnotic nod of the head took over, as if controlled by Jessica’s tapping foot on-stage. The flawless opening vocal inspired the remainder of the night to follow suit.

Following a brief relaxed chat with the crowd, Jessica introduces Icarus, the fairytale-like song with sweeping harmonised vocals in the bridge. Taken from the ‘Mexico EP’, its enchanting ambience binds the listener stiff, caught in wonder.

By the time the folk-trio played their admired track Mexico, most in the crowd were feeling a little drier and undoubtedly, happier. Guitarist Jessica reveals she was “living in Liverpool at the time, studying music”, when the popular song was written.

The mid-section of the show produced an up-tempo setting, with more involvement from the drummer and bass player as well as youngest sister Camilla, displaying her gentle talents on the ukulele for the graceful Tongue Behind My Teeth. The audience, having uniquely chipped-in with yelps and squeals, becomes yet more liberal with the mixture of buoyant song and obvious partaking in rounds to the bar.

The sound of a smashing glass broke a robust silence after Wisely And Slow, erupting the venue into a chorus of cheers, band included. Clearly a mishap, it strangely donated to the common good mood and the three sisters shared a smile before playing the sinister Eagle Song. Emily, the eldest of the Stavely-Taylor sisters, plays the harmonium for this particular track and its inclusion creates a wonderful foggy sound, which gives weighty texture to the song.

After a moment’s respite, there was time for a final romance between band and assembly when Watford’s finest sisters declared their goodbye with Winter Trees. How fitting it seemed too, on a day when a general theme of chat translated across the city, that winter had duly arrived.