Folk royalty shine & curate a hugely entertaining show

Folk music royalty graced Brighton Dome’s stage and the city’s laptops on Saturday (May 29) as Eliza and Martin Carthy performed – East, an engaging evening of music, spoken word and dance with an impressive little roster of guest contributors.

The UK’s first family of folk were in good voice and good form for the show which was their first in 15 months. It was trialled as an exploration of the myths, legends, songs and stories of England’s Eastern Seabird - or in Eliza’s words: “A loose concept played by loose people.” Martin and Eliza, playing acoustic guitar and violin respectively, were joined by a cellist, a sitar player, and occasional support from an energetic tap-dancing banjolele player.