Live music from the comfort of a living room

The superb talents of Anny Celsi (California) and Duncan Maitland (Ireland) were transported into a Hastings living room on Tuesday (May 21) for a unique performance.

The two are part-way through a European tour, and stopped off between Brighton and London shows for what afterwards Anny described as “the best gig ever”.

Sarah Corrie, the woman behind Secret Songwriters, brought us the first Secret Gig. I say first because she promises there will be more.

Folk singer/songwriter Anny has just released a new album January. Mellow and poetic, her music packs a punch and each song is a story in itself. When the album was compiled she said, together the songs told a story that perhaps she had not anticipated.

Duncan also performed tracks from his debut album Lullabies For The 21st Century, as well as accompanying Anny on guitar.

Able support was provided by Sarah herself.

It was easy to slip into a reverie and forget that usually to see music this good, there would be uncomfortable seating and queues for the bar. Instead there were cushions, home cooking and invitations to join in with the chorus.

Review by Hannah Collisson