When partaking of a quiet Ale at the Greystones a few weeks ago, my buddy Ray Loughlan spotted that Rachel Harrington was paying Steel City a visit. Having fallen in love with her earlier work this was one not to miss!

Fortified with a rather quality beer we settled into the Backroom ready for the show only to discover that Rachelwas accompanied by three more lovely ladies, The Knock Outs.

Amy Tubbs drums and vocals, Moe Provencher bass and vocals and Alisa Milner violin and vocals. The band hit the stage grinning from ear to ear, Rachel with a cowgirl hat pulled down tight, western gear and great boots.

Boom! off we went the girls laying down wagon train of sweet honky tonk homemade tunes with a few country classics thrown in for good measure. A little Patsy Cline, some Kitty Wells and some funny stories mixed in for good measure. The band were grooving and having a load of fun ranking out upbeat stuff ‘Wedding Ring Vacation’, ‘He’s My Man’, ‘Nothing But You’, then sometimes dropping down to a slower groove, like ‘I’ll Show You Mine’.

Moe Provencher ( no slouch on bass I might add ) a singer/songwriter herself showcased a couple of her own songs. A great house sound highlighted the four piece harmonies and the energy and joy the band generated transmitted to the audience. To close the show, Rachel did a solo spot highlighting her tender yet gritty vocal style featured on her recordings before the whole band returned for an unplugged gospel singalong that sent us home rejoicing!

Hallelujah.

Words:Keefy.

Rachel Harrington Website. Facebook. Myspace. Last.fm.