Jeremy's Indie Music: The Civil Wars, Night & Day Cafe, Manchester 26th September 2011 9/10

This magical evening was all about music in its purest form: two performers with their voices and a guitar; no backing band, and a keyboard reserved for their signature song Poison and Wine. It was also all about the chemistry of the relationship between John Paul White, Joy Williams, and the audience, expressed through music and body movement. The set and sound may be stripped back to the bare essentials, yet it is utterly captivating and all-absorbing. The authenticity of the rapport between these two performers is evident, and it was so obvious they were enjoying themselves, believing in the beauty of music with all their hearts. Take at look at some of my videos at the end of this post, and you'll see what I mean.

Joy wore her signature black dress, and John Paul White a suit, albeit without a tie for this informal setting, which they described as ‘like performing in someone’s living room'. The intimacy was a welcome contrast with the first time I saw them, supporting Adele in a 4000 seat theatre. Tonight, about 100 people were crammed into a small cafe bar, with total hushed concentration. The set, sixty minutes plus two encores, comprised their album Barton Hollow and several covers, which far from being fillers, were exquisite. They sing about unrequited love, pain, hardship, grief, laughter, and beauty. Every song is perfectly formed, with the 'swampy' title song and Birds of a Feather (with an unlikely echo of Radiohead in the guitar accompaniment) being especially stirring.

That The Civil Wars should have found such success in the USA, without major label backing, and with no gimmicks, is heart-warming. It’s a remarkable achievement for an acoustic act to reach no.1 on The Billboard Digital Albums Chart, aided by Poison and Wine's airing on Gray’s Anatomy. As with Adele's success, this shows that the public value quality. They’re also testament to the judicious use of social media: their masterstroke was to give away freely for download an early live performance (they also have a free Daytrotter session). You really do need to see them in person though to understand their magic: Joy's dancing is seductive, graceful and sensual, her smile is winning, and she makes eye contact with members of the audience.

The paradox about experiencing The Civil Wars is that the music is deeply sad, and yet you feel so uplifted afterwards, because the performance conveys such joy. This is in part due to the humorous interchanges: as they explained, contrary to assumptions, they are not married to each other, yet they the sparks between them are so serendipitous. Joy is flirtatious and playful, whilst John Paul is dry humoured. They met by chance at a song writing session in Nashville in 2008, and John Paul’s Southern country roots and Joy’s Californian pop background spark off each other to produce something magnetic.

The support act was perfectly judged: The Staves are English, yet a country influence can be heard, and they show a sensitive musicality and create sweet harmonies. They also share The Civil War's gift of chemistry: the three sisters Jessica, Camilla, and Emily from Watford show a deep connection, relying almost exclusively on their voices, with minimal ukulele and guitar accompaniment. They set the mood beautifully for the main act, and I'd urge you to listen to some of their music on Soundcloud (rather than My Space as they suggested). Their first album is in the works, and it's significant that I spotted Joy in the audience, clearly enjoying this gentle folk music.

I cannot agree more with my friend who wrote eloquently about the sense of peace and extreme happiness at a Civil Wars performance: you do indeed cease worrying about time and become liberated from the present. Joy talked about how lucky she felt to have spent the last month in the UK, and sincerely about the importance to them of sharing their music with us Europeans. They so clearly care about their audience, and have enough confidence in the power of music to dispense with all distractions. As Dryden said, 'What passion cannot Music raise and quell?'.