Esther Swift, Pukehou NZ, 2023

Esther Swift

8th February 2023
Christ’s Church, Pukehou, New Zealand.

Review by Rob Harbers, photography by Andrew Caldwell.

“Take Me To Church” sang Hozier nearly 10 years ago now, and tonight the Small Hall Sessions did exactly that, returning to its spiritual home (and head honcho Jamie’s turangawaewae) of Pukehou’s venerable and historic Christ’s Church. Our guide for this journey was the captivating Esther Swift, producing angelic sounds on her (borrowed) harp, accompanied with beautiful vocals. Enough to make a believer out of many of those congregated therein!

This was the first time performing in Hawke’s Bay for Esther – forgivable enough given that her home is in Scotland! Yes, appropriately enough, given that they’ve been either side of Burns Night, the leading brace of this year’s sessions are both Caledonian – the previous act being Frank Burkitt. As much as Jamie referred to his paternal roots being Scottish, I’m not quite sure that this is more than accidental-but it makes a nice synchrony, in any case!

And so, on to the music: Utterly beautiful and truly mesmerizing! In a performance that exposed many to an instrument they’d barely heard played in such a fashion before, Esther led a spellbound audience through a set that included both purely instrumental and vocal-accompanied pieces, all performed with a winning smile – she portrayed an infectious happiness throughout her set that was inspirational. Being used to seeing a wide range of gurns from instrumentalists, such obvious enjoyment of the art was a breath of fresh air. Probably not that difficult when playing such an angelic instrument – even the tuning up sounds lovely! Not to underestimate or understate the sheer physicality of playing such a sizeable beast, though – she works hard for the money!

The pieces were inspired by a diverse range of themes, a notable few taking the form of poetry set to music, where the works of various poets, going back as far as Yeats and coming right up to contemporary times, were accompanied by Esther’s original compositions. Many others were inspired by, or tributes to, people in her life, covering both ends of life and various points between.

As well as the harp itself, the other equally vital component of Esther’s artistry is her expressive and powerful voice – reflecting her past as head chorister at St Mary’s cathedral in Edinburgh – this lady’s got pipes! This, the second instrument in her arsenal, delivered the lyrical content in fitting style, rounding out the package nicely. What’s not to love about such a winning combination? Certainly she gained a good few admirers from this performance – CD sales were among the highest for a single Session, on a per capita basis.

But enough of my flailing attempts to adequately express the depth and beauty of this experience, one that would be near the top of my list of best Sessions – no small praise, given the sheer range of talent that these have hosted. This is a beautiful, expressive music that captivates and mesmerises, accompanied by a winning smile and charming tales that betray the beautiful soul behind them – buy a ticket at www.smallhallsessions.co.nz and see for yourself!

Were you there at Christ’s Church for this intimate gig? Or have you seen Esther Swift perform live somewhere else before? Tell us about it in the comments below!

Setlist:

_{Note: Ambient Light was provided passes to review and photograph this concert. As always, this has not influenced the review in any way and the opinions expressed are those of Ambient Light’s only.}

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