Fabulous French Folk in Farsley

A relaxing evening with Stanley Brinks and Freschard at The Old Woolen

This gig was like nothing else in its truly relaxing and intimate atmosphere. Similar to a pub with some live music on, those of us in the audience sat around a pleasant, casual arrangement of tables. Up on stage, Stanley Brinks, très cool in his green bucket hat and round glasses, began on the acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, his musical partner, Freschard was a picture of contentment with gin in hand between songs. Strong audience engagement through the show, in the form of taking requests and providing opportunities to sing along only, made the evening more inviting. Call and response in the song I’m the Boss, and the refrain in Orange Juice was particularly entertaining.

Stanley Brinks and Freschard

There was switching of guitars and stage presence as these two moved further into the evening. In fact, the flow these two established was so chilled and easy going that it wasn’t a disruption at all when they brought onto stage who I can only assume to be the sound engineer (who heard this French duo elsewhere and was keen for them to play at The Old Woollen). He played one song alongside Brinks, while Freschard headed to the bar, something which would seem out of place for most musicians mid-performance, but not these two.

The music itself, on either side of the cigarette break, was consistently engaging in its overall folk sound and lyrics. All the songs were in English but the French accents made for a unique sound. While Brinks provided many of the harmonising notes, Freschard’s particular emphasis of certain sounds and letters created new and enjoyable vocal textures. I do not feel that the same poetic qualities could have been conveyed by a native English speaker singing the same songs. 

The guitar playing also contributed to the texture of the evening’s sound, helping to drive many of the songs forward with strong strumming, and bringing in a fascinating riff when the music naturally opened up to a bit of improvisation. I especially enjoyed the sitar effect brought in at points with the plucking of guitar strings. Brinks’ use of a tiny ukulele for a solo version of Alone in Barcelona for the very last song was also a genius move. This rounded off the couple of hours nicely, with everything boiling down to an understated figure and 4 strings.

Online streaming platforms probably don’t do Stanley Brinks and Freschard justice, but I would highly recommend seeing these two in person if you are looking for a laid-back and uplifting evening of music to feel part of.