Odin Dragonfly

Headingly Enterprise & Arts Centre, Headingly

20 August 2024

I've heard Heather Findlay sing Shrinking Violet twice in the space of three days, and this time it had Angela Gordon playing the guitar solo (on flute, just in case there's any confusion), and that's it, I have hit the peak of the best concerts I have ever seen and there won't be a better one now.

Headingly Enterprise & Arts Centre (or just "HEART", I believe) is new to me. It's a nice building that I think has several different areas within it as well as a bar and cafe, and the room used for the concert was a fairly large space that had a village hall kind of feel to it. The stage was small but raised high enough for perfect views, the sound was great, and the lights surprisingly good for this this type of small venue. The audience, seated at tables, filled the space quite nicely and seemed to be a mix of people who had travelled specifically for the band and people for whom this was just their local venue, so I hope Odin Dragonfly made some new fans tonight.

The obvious thing to mention is that Angela had no piano:

This must limit the set list choices, because there are some songs that I am sure simply won't work like this. But with clever re-arranging to use the flute a lot more, falling back on some rarely-heard Mostly Autumn songs (Steal Away probably surprised most people), and adding in a folk song and a hornpipe, they still managed to fill almost two hours of music. Without really missing any of my favourites. Except Which Wood. They skipped that. Oh, but, Out of the Inn, so I forgive them. And Shrinking Violet, which automatically makes it the best concert I've ever seen, regardless of what else they play.

Some other random observations. Despite hearing all of these songs introduced live more than once, there are still moments in the introductions that can surprise and move me. Heather moves from finger-picking to strumming by magic, because I can never see where her plectrum appears from. And I have a feeling that Angela plays Witches Promise on one leg, though I may have imagined that. And finally, making my mandatory pilgrimage to the merch stand to confirm that there's nothing new for me there ... I found a Garland of Flutes CD that I didn't even know existed! How cool is that?

I have watched both of these singers either solo or in various other bands, but there's something special about Odin Dragonfly that highlights the best of both of them. Their voices blend perfectly, and each brings out the best of the other's voice. Angela's high lines let Heather use her beautiful (and not used enough!) lower range. Angela can sing either above or below Heather as the song requires. The harmonies and the unison singing are just beautiful. They play off each other so perfectly, and so comfortably, that any minor mis-cue or forgotten lyric is instantly and gracefully recovered from. And it's not just the music that makes this special, you can also feel the decades of friendship they share, and it just makes for a beautiful atmosphere on stage.

Everything about this is beautiful.