Music: The Imagined Village

Premiered at WOMAD, and now on tour, The Imagined Village features Martin Carthy, Eliza Carthy and Essex boy Billy Bragg. Bold claims have been made for this work, some declaring it to be as ground-breaking as was Liege and Lief in its time. This venture aspires to redefine englishness and english folk-music in the context of the 21st century.

Sometimes it works wonderfully well. It's a delight to see and hear Sheila Chandra, who first came to prominence in "Grange Hill" and had her 15 minutes of fame when she charted with her band Monsoon in 1982 with the engaging "Ever So Lonely." One senses that she's found a more natural home in The Imagined Village. There is an energetic Sikh percussion unit and the multi-cultural element is completed by Benjamin Zephaniah who contributes a re-working of Tam Lyn as an urban rap (Mr Zephaniah appeared courtesy of video screen in the performance I saw at Leicester De Montfort Hall).

Billy Bragg, sporting an alarming black suit with white braiding - perhaps echoing a pearly king - adds some clunky new verses to John Barleycorn and generally seems over-awed by the scale of the enterprise.

This work is described by its creators as a "project" and therein lies some difficulty. It's sometimes too self-conscious to be truly uplifting and lacks the spontaneity one would wish a true celebration to have. However there are some wonderful moments, often contributed by Eliza Carthy, now so mature as a writer and performer. She lifts a show, which does come recommended, despite being a little disjointed at times. There's no escaping the fact that from time to time the performance struggles to escape from under the weight of its own ambition.

I am a slightly dissenting voice in being less than wholeheartedly enthusiastic about The Imagined Village in performance, so why not follow the link to read reviews on the project's own site by clicking on the title to this post? You'll find a great video of Benjamin Zephaniah's modernised version of Tam Lyn and a great deal more about the project. Simon Emmerson, the moving spirit behind the Afro-Celt Sound System, is the force behind The Imaginary Village which I'm sure will attract a great many visitors who may, in time, want to settle there.