Heather Findlay

House concert, Sussex

28 June 2025

When I told colleagues that I was seeing Heather for the 97th time this weekend, there was a bit of disblief, and the general question was, why? Isn't it always the same?

I have two answers to that. The first is, what's wrong with something being the same if it's this good? Ice cream is always the same, but I'm not going to stop eating it.

The better answer is: no, it's not the same. Sure, it's similar. Heather has a new album out, and I know she's going to play a lot of it, and there are certain old favourites that I hope she always plays. So there has to be a core, expected set list. But when it's Heather alone on stage, without having to worry about what the band has rehearsed, she can sing whatever she likes.

And she does: scrolling up and down her setlist and seeming to pick things that suit her mood, and that she thinks will suit the crowd. And it's an unusual crowd tonight. I see a small number of familiar faces, but the bulk of the crowd seems to be friends and family of the hosts, and I know that some (perhaps most) have never heard her music. So for the newbies there are covers of songs they might know: Fleetwood Mac's Dreams (not a surprise from Heather) and, right out of left field, Sweet Child O' Mine, a fantastic arrangement with Heather's son, Harlan, on bass guitar. Plus a song written as a tribute to a family member who clearly a lot of the audience knew.

And for the faithful there are beautiful arrangements of old Mostly Autumn favourites, naturally, interspersed with the best of her new Wildflower album, plus a couple of songs as yet unrecorded, which I have already heard but nowhere near enough times.

So, is it different every time? Yes, it definitely is.

And that's not even factoring in new arrangements that feature Harlan on piano or bass (you really need to hear Caught in a Fold with a bass solo). And of course there's more to a concert than the arrangements, there's the atmosphere, and the chat between songs, and on this occasion the beautiful garden setting with good company and good food, and the chorus of ravens (or are they rooks?) in the background, and the ... everything. And just Heather.

Different every time? Yes, of course. Anyone who attends live concerts (proper live concerts) knows that.

But even if it were identical, I would be here. Because you don't just eat ice cream once. And I'm not sure how I got onto this ice cream metaphor, but we had ice cream too! Best ice cream I've... well, you get the idea.

And I don't usually think a concert review needs to talk about the musicians' appearance, but in this instance I have to say: best dress ever!