Review

MUSIC

PENTANGLE ****

GLASGOW ROYAL CONCERT HALL

KNIGHTS, castles, apples, oranges, steadfast women and the occasional song about drowning – these are the subjects a Pentangle set is made of. The Britfolk supergroup, who claim to be less peace and love, more doom and gloom, are sharing a stage for the first time in 35 years, and the results were captivating.

Singer Jacqui McShee and guitarist Bert Jansch, as droll spokespersons, were ever so slightly apologetic for the distinctly hippyish slant of their material – what was unabashed subject matter and musical styling in the late 1960s does date them somewhat now.

And yet it is precisely this free-spirited timewarp to a pastoral, pagan, psychedelic folk realm which their audience wished to revel in.

"This is it folks – we really are going back to the 60s," announced McShee, throwing up a playful peace sign as a sitar was brought on stage and John Renbourne, claiming he had not volunteered for this particular detail, took up his position on the floor.

But the jazz credentials of their loveable rhythm section were also celebrated, on the Miles Davis-inspired I've Got A Feeling and a version of Charles Mingus's Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, for which drummer Terry Cox donned said headgear.

Light Flight – "our hit" – was a sterling example of where this virtuoso band were coming from. Sophisticated, layered, rhythmic but bewitchingly melodic, it was a wonderful showcase for their talents, with even subtle embellishments, such as Cox's beautifully wrought backing vocals, enhancing the overall sound.