I remember seeing the Staves, perhaps 7-8 years ago, as part of the Cathedral Quarter Arts Festival in the marquee in Custom House Square, and being stunned by the sheer quality of the vocal deliveries and sweet harmonies of the three Staveley-Taylor sisters.
In front of a packed Empire Music Hall in Belfast, those stunning vocals continue to soar and beguile, but there is a harder edge to the music. Perhaps it’s a reflection of a shift in their musical direction, but the crowd loves it.
We’re a sister light from the usual three, with Emily at home nursing her baby Maggie. “Selfish bitch”, chimes Milly in a manner only sisters can get away with, to great laughter from the audience. There’s quite a bit of good-hearted banter between the band and the audience tonight. A request to play Springsteen’s ‘I’m On Fire’ (sadly not taken up) is met with Milly suggesting “someone needs to help that person!”
But it’s those beautiful voices and sweet harmonies that people have come for, and no one leaves disappointed. The band spoke of their joy at being able to play in front of a live audience and that joy was palpable in the Empire.
The venue was once a church, and tonight it rang again to the hymnal beauty of voices, joined in sweet harmony to raise the rafters in praise of song and togetherness. Usually, a band will pepper their set with a few new additions. The fact that ten of the seventeen tracks offered tonight came from their latest album seemed not to matter to the crowd such was the quality of the performance.
High points were aplenty throughout a totally captivating evening. ‘Make It Holy’ remains a gloriously polished gem, with Jess on lead. ‘Mexico’ was one of those hairs-on-neck moments, and ‘Paralysed’ and ‘Best Friends’ are delivered in a hugely impressive and touching manner.
I overheard a group next to me describe the sisters’ voice as angelic. However, one wag, suggested they were “angels with potty mouths” during ‘Tight As Fuck’ to great mirth within the group.
An hour and a half flew past. The encore of the title track of the new album ‘Good Woman’ had the whole audience singing along, as the gears cranked up to its climactic crescendo. ‘Teeth White’ remains a declaration and a thing of beauty.
This is a band that does not stand still on their signature sound, and the crowd tonight loves the familiar and the adventurous. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we see and hear what the next chapter holds for this wonderful band.