Northeast Music Guide

Hazel O'Connor: Breaking Glass Live Duo Pony and Trap came mob-handed with a busload of ‘poolies bolstering the already healthy sized crowd at the Cluny. The songs were way catchier than the   MacBook and   guitar setup promised. Sally Rafferty’s (the Hartlepool contingent) vocals filled unexpected niches in the vocal space of songs in that she has a style that adds notes around the central one. Think Delores O’Riordan of the Cranberries and you’re almost there. This makes for interesting listening as did Tom Meyer’s skilful use of the guitar. I liked them enough to visit the merch stall and buy a CD. The band had had Pony and Trap beermats made, a good little marketing idea I thought. Hazel O’Connor came onto the stage to storm through Give me an Inch and didn’t let up the momentum through several Breaking Glass favourites, and these still have a relevance now. Big Brother, Black Man  and Monsters in Disguise were written in the time of Thatcher but the s...