Don’t Give Up Now, Ruby Darbyshire

As discoveries of young local talent never seem to wane here at Devizine, here’s one with a difference, we’ve not featured yet; you may have seen Ruby Darbyshire busking a showstopper with bagpipes, but it’s far from the limits of this girl’s mind-blowing talent….

Her live studio recording is a four track EP, acoustic folk originals, titled Don’t Give Up Now, We’re Nearly There, and it’s something you simply MUST listen to, I order you to! My benchmark for a great writer is imagining myself at the same age merely attempting to scribe something on par, the conclusion being the profoundness and emotive expression of Ruby here crosses the winning line while I’m not even off the starting block, and me, with bagpipes, don’t even contemplate it!

Using a comfort blanket as a metaphor, a pensive ditty called Insomnia opens, the title explaining the lucid theme, first person prose reflection on growing up and fatigue. The EP ends with the struggle for self-control customarily portrayed as the devil on one shoulder, angel on the other, but perhaps questioning her impulsive behaviour moreso. Devil Doesn’t Want This leaves you aching for more, it’s edgy and darker than the two relationship subjects between them.

Pandora is perhaps the deepest dimensionally, a personification of the Pandora’s Box idiom, Ruby nails the process of a labyrinthine of issues once pursued generates greater problems, and it’s conveyed sublimely. Don’t Want to Hear You Cry is less abstract, but equal in emotive, matured outpouring. In summary of the whole EP, it’s a beautiful thing, sublime.

Echoes of Opportunity Knocks winner and Paul McCartney’s first venture into production, Mary Hopkins in her delivery, Ruby bears all the hallmarks of a classic female folk singer, of Holly Near, vocally, of Joni Mitchell in calibre and of Dar Williams in emotive outpouring, akin locally to the rapturous Daisy Chapman.

Often seen busking or at open mics with her dad, Brian, it’s clear Ruby’s music evolved from a musical family at a tender age, a prodigy flourished, to hear the results is blissful. Gig dates can be found on her website, here. She’s at the George in Lacock on Wednesday evening (6th Sept.)

Ruby supports Amelia Coburn at the Pump on Saturday 14th October, with Meg, she writes to tell me she “just heard yesterday that I’m on stage at the Bradford Roots Festival in January,” and goes onto explain Tim Burgess from the Charlatans, organiser of the Kendal Calling festival asked to return next year, donating her a day’s recording at the Cheese and Grain, with musicians and Freddie Cowan from the Vaccines as producer. Full-gone conclusion, in my opinion, Ruby’s music will grow into a phenomenon, and you need to hear it blossoming.