The evening in Reeth carried that familiar mix of stillness and anticipation. The hall was already warm with conversation when Sherburn Bartley Sanders stepped onto the stage. Concertina fiddle and guitar settled into place and the room eased into silence. It was the kind of silence that feels like a shared breath before the first note.
Their playing moved with an easy confidence. Chris Sherburn’s concertina lifted the tunes with a bright edge while Denny Bartley’s guitar and voice brought depth and colour. Emily Sanders added a soft thread of fiddle and harmony that tied everything together. They have a way of leaning into each tune as if they are rediscovering it in the moment and the hall responded to that sense of closeness.
Between the songs came the stories. Gentle humour and small memories that opened a window into their years on the road. Nothing rushed. Nothing forced. Just simple moments that drew the room in and made the music feel even more grounded. Their storytelling shaped the evening as much as the tunes. It gave the performance a rhythm beyond the music and made the hall feel smaller in the best possible way.
Photographing them in that space was a pleasure. The light in Reeth Memorial Hall has a soft fall that suits acoustic music. It catches the curve of an instrument and the quiet concentration on a face. The trio’s easy connection made the work feel natural. They look toward one another often and those glances carry the same warmth as their playing.
As the night moved on the hall shifted with them. Still for the quiet songs. Lifted for the lively ones. There was a sense of shared experience that stayed with people as they stepped out into the cool Swaledale air at the end of the evening.
Sherburn Bartley Sanders brought more than music to Reeth. They brought stories and a feeling of companionship that settled into the room and stayed there. A fine night in the dale and a memorable one to photograph.
