Juliet Lloyd Trio
Having just flown in from Washington DC, it was a pleasure to welcome Juliet Lloyd to the LRB stage for the first time.
Juliet is joined, for the first time since 2008, by old band mates Sven Adderson playing bass and Dan Graham on drums. Sven and Dan are the English side of the band. As Juliet and Steve Ventillion (guitar) hail from the USA.
Juliet opens, singing, sat at the piano, as Steve plays some beautiful guitar before the bass and drum kick in setting the tone for another superb musical experience.
Juliet now introduces the band, clearly happy to be in the room tonight, before playing Wallflower track 1 from her 2024 album CARNIVAL.
Steve switches to Electric guitar as Juliet talks us through the relationship themes of her CARNIVAL album before performing track 7 When Love Comes Round Again.
This is Juliet and Steve’s second time in the UK and she is getting used to the driving… laughs… She is loving the country and looking forward to spending more time here she tells us, before performing the title track to the CARNIVAL album.
Juliet tells us about how she quit the music business for 10 years before performing the last song she wrote before quitting, Come Tomorrow. Ironically it’s the only song Juliet has made any money from as it was picked up for some reality TV shows in the USA.
Before quitting music all those years ago, Juliet wrote Leave a Light On after experiencing a local community come together following a major tragedy and we got to enjoy it next.
Now we get to hear the very first song Juliet ever wrote Before Me, a fantastic song with a jazzy Bluesy feel that has clearly matured over the years… It certainly highlights the quality of musicianship on the LRB stage tonight.
Fast forwarding 15 years takes us to the days of the pandemic and Juliet beginning to write again, quitting her job to begin performing once more.
Ghost Light, is inspired by the feint light used on theatre stages, an analogy of keeping hope alive.
It was designed as a charity record, but has only raised some 73 dollars on streaming services so far, such is the poor payback to artists from these services. It’s a great song though and was lovely to hear it performed so well tonight.
It’s time for a more up tempo song now, and Over You hits the spot. You can find this on the HIGH ROAD EP.
High Road is a 2022 single written about a fellow musician on Juliet’s local scene who turns out to be not such a nice person… So Juliet takes it out in a song, taking the high road in her own particular way… (Unliking his YouTube videos)… Laughs… He shall remain nameless here…
The beautiful Sorry Now follows seamlessly. This is track 4 on CARNIVAL
From 2006, a song written with Sven and Dan at a time when Juliet was full of optimism to be discovered, only that dream never came true. Still, we get to enjoy Drive Away tonight as a result, and a chance for the LRB choir to sing along as they always do…
As we draw to a close, it’s hard for Juliet not to get political for this next song, given the current turmoil in the USA… laughs… King In A Clown Nose is the catchy song, a single from 2025. That drew some applause…
So we come to the last song as Juliet thanks the LRB team, obviously impressed by what we all do here and the support we receive from the audience. We couldn’t do this without you all.
Track 9 from CARNIVAL, Motorcycle & Tattoo Sleeve is next with an easily singalong able chorus… to end the show on a high note…
Well, we couldn’t leave it there, we had to have an encore and Juliet chose to sing a beautiful solo at the piano, and old song, Sleep By Me…
Wow, that was amazing, thank you Juliet Lloyd and the band.
Sarah Jane Scouten
This was the second appearance at LRB for Sarah Jane Scouten, a multi award nominated folk artist from Canada. Sarah and her trio opened with Every Song before praising the LRB for its unique nature in her experience of touring the UK.
Another new song, Grey Galloway follows in a similar up beat country folk style.
Q gets a round of applause for sorting a monitor issue before Sarah Jane tells us that, “After reaching 40, I’m alright asking for what I want”… Laughs… Before she performs Alright On My Own
Henry Webb-Jenkins is making his presence felt on the pedal steel guitar tonight as Robert Caswell Jones (Guitar and BV) takes the lead vocal for a Townes Van Zantd cover Loretta. From his 1978 album Flyin’ Shoes. A song over which, Robert and Sarah Jane met whilst playing a gig in Sheffield.
The next song comes from Sarah Jane’s latest album TURNED TO GOLD, Wilder When I Was With You. She had sold out of physical copies of this on her tour already.
Sarah Jane introduces Henry Webb-Jenkins now, only one of 7 to 10 pedal steel players in the UK today, explaining that they had only just met earlier for this gig, he made a superb impression, you’d never know they had only just ran through the songs this afternoon, thats some talent, you’d think they had been playing together for a long time.
Acre of Shells from Sarah Jane’s 2017 album WHEN BLOOMS FALL FROM THE ROSE is the next number and such a beautiful song.
After a few tales from the road, we get to enjoy a cover of the classic Tennessee Waltz Robert taking the lead vocals once more with Sarah Jane creating beautiful harmonies. This led into another classic Mamma Tried allowing Robert and Henry to show off their respective guitar chops…
Now it’s time for Sarah Jane to send the boys off stage as she orchestrated the room to join in with some beautiful harmonies as only the LRB Choir can, on Soldier Travelling.
If you come to the LRB, you are in the band, that’s the joy of such an intimate experience…
A song based on the legend of Icarus is next Circle Around The Sun, before Sarah Jane thanks Jonathan and Lyn for the amazing hospitality rarely found in the UK.
Sarah Jane is married to a Belgium man and was asked to write a song in Flanders about the First World War, from a woman’s perspective. That challenge inspired her, so after hearing the story of how this came about we get to enjoy the thought provoking Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry…
‘It’s time to bring ‘The Talent’ back on the stage’ Sarah Jane tells us, for Palomino. Then after some stage banter about how Sarah Jane now lives in Scotland, we get to enjoy Is It Just The Whisky Talking? from the 2023 album TURNED TO GOLD. That was immediately followed by an impressive guitar jig Big Sciota.
‘12 years touring the UK means an artist must have a certain Wanderlust’… Sarah Jane tells us, she came to the UK with 40 dollars in her pocket, and still only has 40 dollars… Laughs.. This song was a 2023 single release.
A couple more songs to go as Sarah Jane introduces an Emmylou Harris version of the George Jones song I really Had A Ball Last Night to lift the tempo and for Robert to display more of his guitar chops… Marvellous…
Sarah Jane now shows appreciation for Juliet Lloyd and her amazing vocal talent before closing with What Music’s For… a very apt way to close an amazing show…
We couldn’t leave it there as we had to have an encore, an Alfred Lord Tennyson poem set to music. Traditionally read at the memorial of people lost at sea, and another chance for the LRB Choir to join in… When I Have Crossed The Bar.
Thank you Sarah Jane Scouten
THANK YOU TO THE ARTISTS: SARAH JANE SCOUTEN + JULIET LLOYD
Thanks to everyone involved with the production: Q, sound engineer and Geoff, lighting tech; The fabulous little rabbit crew of Chris on video cameras and setup, Stan on setup and artist merchandise; Lyn with artist and guest hospitality; Brian running Little Rabbit Bar and big thanks to Chris and Rebecca, Bob for assistance on the evening.
Review: Chris
Video cams: Chris
Photography: Andy Sheard
Artist/guest hospitality: Lyn
Artist Merchandise: Stan
AV editing & audio mix: J
Artists: Sarah Jane Scouten, Juliet Lloyd
Sound: Q
Lighting crew: Geoff Lee
To all wonderful LRB guests and friends who support live music at LRB, big thanks for filling LRB albeit not quite full, and hope to see y’all on Saturday 30 May for Paul Casey & Daniel Millar + Imogen Clark. Big thanks to the new guests and all your lovely comments.
Thank you everyone.
Best wishes, Keep Safe & See Y’all soon
The LRB team
