Moulettes don’t fit easily into any musical category; lead singer and cellist Hannah Miller has said that those listening to this acoustic Brighton band can hear “Shostakovich, Miles Davis, Pentangle, Pink Floyd, Björk and Skrillex”. But judging from this slick, cheerfully eclectic set, the emphasis is on an elaborate blend of prog folk and psych folk, with added classical and rock influences, and they are most remarkable for their blend of immaculate and thrilling female harmony vocals and unexpected instrumentation.
Their latest album, Constellations, attracted a suitably stellar selection of musicians that included everyone from Herbie Flowers and Rachel and Becky Unthank to that veteran theatrical rocker Arthur Brown. Sadly, none of these appeared among the “special guests” here, but the four band members were joined by five other musicians. There was harp, brass and impressive vocal and violin work from both Kate Young (AKA Kate in the Kettle) and Eliza Jaye, a Brighton-based Australian who had opened the show playing blues on electric guitar.
They started with the cheerful Sing Unto Me, before switching to more elaborate and darker material. The best of their complex, swirling songs included the brooding and spooky The Observatory, the cheerfully upbeat Glorious Year, and a quirky and thoughtful new track, Hidden World, on which Miller sang solo with sparse backing from the drummer. For the encores they switched direction again, with a gently charming folk-country ballad, Songbird, and a foot-stomping rocker built around a riff played on bassoon. This is a clever and original band.
