A Fine Pair

Josienne Clarke & Ben Walker should have been on cloud nine after the release of their exquisite 2016 album Overnight. It was the pair’s first for Rough Trade after self-releasing their previous albums and the reviews were nothing short of glowing. And yet things didn’t pan out quite how they’d hoped. Overnight sold only modestly and, wondering if they might not get a second chance with Rough Trade, Clarke and Walker were pitched into a period of soul-searching. Were all the sacrifices and disappointments and emotional turmoil really worth it in order to pursue their dream?

It’s hard not to like Pam Lawson. As the audience is greeted by the soft, languid rendition of “I Won’t Dance” as they file in, Lawson meets them like old friends with a big smile and easy manner, setting the tone for the next hour. This show lives up to it’s subtitle as A Celebration In Song, and is an opportunity for the singer to share her love of the music from the classic 1930s films of Fred and Ginger. Interspersed with a witty narrative of anecdotes gleaned from autobiographies by the iconic Hollywood pair, Pam Lawson takes us through the music from the nine RKO Radio Pictures movies featuring the dancing duo. On a blank stage and backed brilliantly on piano by Tom Finlay, and on double bass by Ed Kelly, Pam Lawson, in a flowery tea-dress, invites the audience to sing along or even dance if they dare. With the house…