GIG REVIEW ON ASHTON LANE

Last night (16th March), I was very kindly invited to Ashton Lane at The Stables in Milton Keynes.

I was very kindly invited before the set to meet Ashton Lane which are a husband and wife duo made up of Esther and Tim O'Connor.

I loved that when I entered the stables stage 2 to a beautiful and simple room that was filled with so much love.

Photo by Me (Tim, Esther and Graham)

'There is something rather beautiful about them'

Ashton Lane started their set with a little talk.

The first song was called Dance Me Home which Esther starts with her fabulous vocals that the audience are loving it. Esther, Tim and Graham’s  energy was stage for this song was lovely to see! I loved that Tim joined in on the chorus.

The second song was called Up My Street which had a fabulous energy along with great harmonies. Tim and Esther song together with beautiful vocals. Tim and Graham’s wonderful guitar 

melodies made the song something else! With passionate lyrics which are clearly seen as heartfelt show all the way through! Esther’s eye contact was fab and shows that they really appreciate their fans!

The third song of the night was called Looking Out For Number 1 which was written about a 

bank robbery. Esther and Tim showed us their fun vibes on stage which I loved! With very fun sounding lyrics and great vocals it was the perfect team up! Once again the guitar playing skills are fab from Tim and Graham. Esther’s vocal range is clearly demonstrated with her softer vocals ending the song off!

Tim and Esther then talk about family life and struggling everything before their fourth song they performed was called Little Heartbeat which had a proper country feel to it which I loved got it to another level. Little Heartbeat is just a super personal song showed within Esther vocals at times and a song that all parents can relate too! Once again this song demonstrated their great harmonies. My favourite of the first half by a mile!

The fifth song that performed was called Slow Grown which is a brand new song of theirs about technology. Slow Grown features done emotional thought about lyrics that are very honest and is shown with send wonderful harmonies from Tim and Esther. The way that Tim and Esther look at each other in the chorus is amazing and your emotionally connect with them. Esther demonstrates softer vocals throughout. The song definitely gets you thinking!

Before the sixth song starts Tim & Esther talk of their bespoke story and mailing list before starting But You Won't Believe Me which starts sign a guitar into which is rather beautiful. Esther starts with some softer vocals before Tim and Graham join her. I loved the eye contact often from Tim and Esther with certain lyrics which again featured some emotional whilst it gets you thinking.

The seventh song was a family song which Esther wrote with her brother about her gran called Legacy. Legacy started with a beautiful guitar duo from Tim and Graham before some soulful vocals from Esther are thrown into the mix. I love the daughter/ daddy duo before the first chorus which Tim joined in on. Legacy features some incredibly meaningful and thought about lyrics. Legacy is a credit to Esther’s gran and the song writing is incredible! Guitar duo from Tim and Graham in the middle was rather powerful extremely beautiful.

The final song of the first half was Making Me Clean which had a rather blues feel which Esther warned us. With soft vocals to start which lead on to her demonstrating many more throughout was rather wonderful. There is something rather special about their song writing skills. This song broke the set up beautifully!

After a short break Esther and Tim returned starting their set up with a Cover of Civil Wars From This Valley. Tim and Graham start the song of with a joyful guitar duo to start but once Esther’s vocals join it’s beautiful. With Tim getting the chance to do  some lead vocals on second verse was special before Esther back for the rest of the song. Ashton Lane once again showed their wonderful harmonies. Esther has the voice of angel.

The second song of this half was another new song called The Right One. The Right One had a happy fun feel to start and when Esther's vocals joined it was beautiful. The right one is definitely a youthful song which has some incredible lyrics that at times are rather passionate.

The third song was another new song but this time called The Day You Found Me. Tim and Esther spoke about their new album when talking about this song. The Day You Found Me started with a soft guitar tune from Graham and Tim. Esther's vocals are very soulful just knows when to change them throughout the song. This song connects with the audience throughout and the chorus was the most beautiful thing I've heard in a while. With higher sounding vocals near the end. I felt myself relating too it at times with a tear in my eye by the end.

The fourth song was from another of their bespoke session written for people who were in the room and the song was called Drive On. Drive On started with s simple guitar solo that had a higher vocal to start from Esther. Drive on was a happy remembering song about America. Drive On features some wonderful and meaningful lyrics. I felt myself wanting to sing along. The chorus was sung as a trio. Drive On for me made me think about road tripping along with deep thinking!

The next song was Nashville Heart which was the name of their latest album. Nashville Heart started with a soulful guitar duet (if you get me) followed by some very heartfelt soulful vocals from Esther who you could hear contacted fully with the lyrics! Esther drops the tone a little towards the end which then gets you thinking about Nashville.

The next song was Seventeen. Seventeen had a fun and quirky feel. With once again sine rather beautiful harmonies throughout from the trio alongside Tim having a little bit solo vocals. Everyone was having fun on stage was lovely to see. Seventeen reminds me of my high school journey.

The final song of their set was Loving You Still. Which had a happy beat with meaningful lyrics. Esther’s vocals are simple but soulful. Tim and Esther shared a small duet which was perfect! Beautiful guitar playing from Graham that was a stand out moment. Esther then showed  beautiful higher vocals with a change in direction towards the middle that was beautiful.

What a wonderful evening this was! The audience were engaged the whole time and with rather special guitar skills from Tim and Graham throughout.