Storytellers put mirror up to themselves and world

FOR as long as time itself, folk music has been used to tell the stories that matter to us and to share the experiences that make us human.

Veteran folk duo Chris While and Julie Matthews are no exception to this, and the pair have long been renowned for their ability to turn an almost encyclopaedic range of ideas into songs.

Their most recent gig at Nettlebed Folk club took the audience anywhere and everywhere from the mountains of Andalusia in Spain, across the Indian Ocean to the farmland of Australia, all the way to Kalamazoo in Michigan.

The sources of their inspiration seem boundless, and the pair sang about a wide range of subjects, from the forced child migration from the UK to Australia in the Sixties, to the education of Afghan girls and women following the rise of the Taliban, to the secrets of the Gibson guitar factory during the Second World War.

However, maybe one of the most touching songs was inspired by events that took place mere miles down the road, in Reading train station.

The Waiting Room was written by While and Matthews for BBC Radio 2’s 21st Century Folk show and tells the true story of Tom Yeo, who was adopted after he was left under a bench in the waiting room at Reading train station in 1965 as a baby.

Police noted Mr Yeo, now in his sixties, appeared nourished and cared for, and he was left with a spare nappy and a bottle wrapped in a bag.

After meeting with Mr Yeo for the programme and hearing his story, While and Matthews said that despite his tough beginning, they were struck by the love and care that both his adoptive and biological mum had for him.

They decided to write their song as two letters from both of these women in his life who “loved him so much”.

Their tribute was not only deeply moving but was a trademark of their ability to produce rousing and memorable melodies. The pair, who are the UK’s longest-enduring female duo, perform much of their catalogue with an ease that only comes from years of performing together.

With Matthews often taking the lower harmonies and While the higher, the two moved in perfect synchronicity.

After performing many of their songs from their 2024 album, Days Like These, on their last tour, the pair said they were enjoying taking the opportunity to go through their back catalogue. With 13 studio albums and 31 years under their belt, they joked that some of the songs that had been requested, they had forgotten they had even written.

The pair, who performed at the club’s 50th anniversary show in July, quipped that they were at the Nettlebed venue so often they don't know why they “ever bother going back up north”.

The night also featured a spot by Megan Henwood, who was introduced to the stage by compère Bruce Gomersall as the “poet of Henley-on-Thames”. Henwood, who grew up in Henley, has been performing at the club since she was a teenager and performed a number of songs.

Despite restarting one of her songs, Henwood quickly had the audience on side with her honest commentary and effortless vocals. True to her introduction, her songwriting confirms she is a true wordsmith, and she has the kind of voice that makes you feel like nothing else exists.

She was joined on stage for her final song, Freshwater, by While and Matthews, which provided one of the most enjoyable parts of the evening.

Nettlebed Folk Club returns on Monday with a sold-out show by Feast of Fiddles Originals, followed by Phil Beer and Paul Downes on Monday, November 24.

Emma Dodd