Kathryn Roberts and Sean Lakeman gave the enthusiastic audience at the Cornerstone a wide-reaching and engaging tour of folk music, from rousing Elizabethan ditties, through traditional English folk tunes such as 'Lord Gregor'y, Scandinavian myths, to their own accomplished songs. From simple musical tools the couple evoked a rich panoply of diverse songs, complex sounds, lovely vocals and interesting ideas.

The duo are on tour currently promoting their new album Tomorrow Will Follow Today. Kathryn explained that the title track was inspired by a description of politics and the electorate from Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett and is a particularly apposite protest song in the run up to the general election. Regardless of the politics, the couple gave a committed performance of the song whose potency was underlined by ominousness of Sean's simple, clear and precise guitar playing. The concert also included a number of other original songs including '52 Hertz' – a charming and amusing folk rendition of the true story of a lonely whale singing to a different key to all other whales in the Pacific. And Kathryn's storytelling ability really came to the fore with her emotional personal insight about the miners' strike in her home town of Barnsley, 'The Ballad of Andy Jacobs'.

The couple's support act, Hattie Briggs, was equally open and engaging and warmed the audience up nicely with her own song 'Old Eyes' about her bear dog and also with a simple and insightful interpretation of Sting's 'Fields of Gold'. I was feeling emotionally raw and anxious when I arrived for the gig but this quickly diminished as I connected with the performers and was soothed by the warmth and charm of everyone's performance, the diversity of the songs and the intriguing ideas presented. The accomplishment of the performers quickly replaced my anguish with echoes of Sean's adept and engaging rhythms and Kathryn's witty and provocative vocals.

Kathryn's powerful voice and rich timbre shone in her a capella rendition of a norse folk song 'Huldra' and accompanying herself on the piano she gave a poignant rendition of 'A Song to Live By'. However, for the majority of the concert her vocals were underpinned and closely complimented by Sean's vigorous, rhythmic and driving guitar playing. His range and nuance are impressive and reflect the diverse musical influences of his successful career as a producer. The couple drew in and charmed the audience with the ease of their wide-ranging musical accomplishment and I left smiling with a heart full of song. There is clearly some benefit to 'The Wisdom of Standing Still'.