Usually you can bet the farm on Fernie stoke folk band Shred Kelly selling out a Lethbridge show, but it was not to be for their April 16 show at Studio.
But the audience made up for their lack of numbers with oodles of enthusiasm and energy. While attendance was respectable I expected more. That just left more room in front of the stage to cut a rug or two.
As usual the band (Tim Newton - vocal, banjo, ukulele; guitar Sage McBride, vocal, keys; Jordan Vlasschaert, bass; Ty West, guitar and Ian Page-Shiner,drums) matched their audience’s enthusiasm drop of sweat for drop of sweat.
Sage McBride, often hidden in the shadows, emerging from the dark to take the microphone and sing her share of lead vocals looked blissed out as usual as co frontman Tim Newton grinned while switching between banjo and ukulele for a hot set of energetic crowd favourites.
“Cabin Fever” was an immediate , sweaty highlight early in the set.
They slowed things down for “the Bear,” before picking things up again.
As expected, they saved their most popular signs for last.
A couple of my favourites “Ghost Inside My Head,” “Jewel of the North” were highlights near the end of their show as were the singles from their most recent CD “Sing To The Night” including the title track, “ Oh Family, Oh Family” and their latest single “Going Sideways.” Crowd favourite “I Hate Work” brought the show to a rousing close.
