The Handsome Family Live
Kazimier Liverpool, 16 May 2013

Liverpool’s Kazimier club is a small but precious jewel of a venue located on the fringe of the city’s performance/music centre. It boasts an intimate and acoustically-sound ambience which has become popular with some of the best local and overseas artists especially in the areas of folk and jazz. Tonight it’s the temporary performance home of America’s Handsome Family whose aquaintance I originally made back in 1999 at the 10-day musical festival wonder of Liss Ard, County Cork, Ireland. Indeed, I must have been one of the very first (if not the first) British journalists to write about this charming and talented alt-country husband and wife duo who played several times including by large pond in one of Ireland’s most beautiful locations. Watching them peform was like witnessing a couple playing at home by, occasionally arguing about lyrics or whether the oven had been correctly set. It was a beguiling and enchanting performance that boasted beautiful songs full of melody and meaning.

But first a young trio from Holland calling themselves Snowapple. Una, Laurien and Fanny are a folk-pop trio with lovely voices and the ability to play a wide array of instruments. In front of a packed auidence of strangers the three young ladies made a room full of friends with their delicate three-part harmonies, powerful solo vocals and songs which crossed language barriers easily and effectively. Before each song came a brief explanation of what was to follow combined with some subtle, soft humour - completed naturally and well enough to form that invaluable audience connection. After the set their merch stand was inundated with visitors wanting signed CDs and enquiring when next the ladies would be back… As they say, job done! 

Snowapple Biography

Three girls from Amsterdam who sing sweet harmonies and also play a large number of instruments - they are Una Bergin, Laurien Schreuder and Fanny de Ruiter, aka Snowapple. After one year of touring Europe, playing Paradiso in Amsterdam, Metropolis Studios in England, Kater Holzig in Berlin and many other venues around Europe, they recorded their first album and have signed a record deal with the label V2 (founded by Richard Branson). The album will be released in the Benelux March 2013. The album is recorded in Studio 150 with the help of producer/engineer Joeri Saal, who has worked with artists such as Paul Weller. It was mastered by engineer Zlaya Hadzich (Sonic Youth, Motorpsycho and Low). The result: a beautiful, dreamy album full of catchy pop/folk numbers in which the discerning listener can hear influences ranging from The Be Good Tanyas and Fleet Foxes to Anais Mitchell and Edith Piaf.

The girls all had musical careers before they joined forces: Laurien has an international career as an opera singer and also performed at many big festivals and stages like Glastonbury and Vive Latino with Gipsy Punk band Polka Madre. Una, is a jazz singer with worldly influences, she joined different bands both in the Netherlands and France and sang on stages as Bimhuis Amsterdam. Fanny is a classically trained singer/composer, at a young age she wrote her first composition performed in the main hall of Concertgebouw Amsterdam. Besides her classical interest she likes chansons and sang Balkan music with the band Amariszi.

Singing old folk songs in three part harmony round Laurien’s kitchen table. That’s how it started. But Laurien also plays guitar, so she soon got it out of its case. And before too long, Una had bought a mandolin and Fanny had remembered that she could play the violin. One song after another was composed and collectively arranged, whereby the arsenal of instruments grew to include banjo, glockenspiel and accordion. The first incarnation of Snowapple as a multi-instrumental singing spectacle was a fact.