LIVE REVIEW: WORRY DOLLS - 10 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF "GO GET GONE" - GREEN NOTE - CAMDEN

It's hard to put into words the feelings that seeing the news of a one-off reunion of the Worry Dolls brought. One of the few groups to call it a day, just as their star was seemingly never higher, with undoubtedly room for further ascension. Ten years on from the release of "Go Get Gone", a gathering of presumably, the greatest Worry Dolls afficionado's would occur at the celebrated Green Note. It would be an afternoon full of surprises, that would repeatedly deliver. The strangest thing of all was that Rosie and Zoe were unsure as to how popular the even might prove, when they initially announced it. To see it sell out in record time, should surely reassure them of the high esteem with which they are still held within the UK Americana community.

On entering each patron received a copy of "Go Get Gone" on vinyl, and Zoe and Rosie freely mingled, signing copies and reminiscing before the support acts appeared which would prove to be short solo sets from Zoe and Rosie. So entrenched in our mind is their combined sound that it would seem quite unusual hearing them individually.

Zoe Nichol would open the afternoon, eschewing her banjo for now, for a guitar. With a couple of albums under her belt, her sound was perhaps less surprising, with her folky, occasionally higher pitched delivery. Opening with "Fearless Child", she would look both wide eyed and sport a broad smile as she delicately picked her guitar notes. The first of two lost Worry Doll's songs in her set, would appear with "What's Coming Next?", it only confirmed that this was no group bereft of ideas, there was plenty still left in the tank. Needless to say the Green Note was pin drop silent absorbing every word, admiring every note and letting Zoe's voice weave it's magic. Another song from the Nashville adventure, "Good Enough For Me", came with a bold folky vocal.

It was not all looking back though and a new song, expressing beautiful sentiments. would see Zoe's vocal's move to a softer delivery, and her guitar playing become so gently that you could hear the strings squeak as she played. There could have been a myriad of titles for it, we'll guess at "Got A Long Way To Go" but it was magical whatever it was called! A complete change in style came with "Twenty Something", another Worry Dolls collaboration that transformed from a slow ballad into a celebratory affair, upbeat in style and loud in delivery. A final song "Stardust" reminded us just how good Zoe's album "Truly" is and that she is fine performer whether under the Worry Doll banner or under her own name.

Rosie Jones would throw us a complete curve ball by choosing to play her first ever live set on the piano. You might imagine such an adventure might be approached in a slightly cautious way, however Rosie's playing was done with the utmost confidence, that impressed throughout. It made you wonder why her post Worry Doll phase has been relatively quiet. Her opening song "New Kids" about her parents selling her childhood home set the tone for her set, full of personal details, it was beautifully observed and performed with aplomb. A Worry Doll / Alyssa Bonagura co- write, "Look Up At The Moon", perfectly encapsulated the feelings of being homesick, with exquisite extended notes.

The joys of being a parent were addressed in "Wild Son" which perfectly describer the ying and yang of parenthood, "the bluest eyes, the softest skin" mixed with "Read all your books, catch all your colds!". On completion Rosie just afforded herself a slight smile knowing that she had done well.

One of her post Worry Doll's singles that we had missed, "Breathe Out", dealt with her coming out and the perfect parental reaction to it. Building to a crescendo of piano and expressive vocals at volume, this was another impressive performance. From there, the only place to head was for a cover of "Pink Pony Club" which Rosie embraced, the only way you can really with delightfully over the top gusto and a broad grin. A final song in this most revelatory of sets, "How Far We've Come" had its roots in Worry Dolls, though developed by Rosie later, it once more proved how high their quality threshold was.

It's at times like this that Joni Mitchell's line, "You don't know what you've got till it's gone" really hits home, because within the opening five seconds of the a capella "Miss You Already", with Zoe and Rosie reunited as Worry Dolls, their voices melding together as one, immediately brought home the fact that this had been missing from our lives and it has been a loss. No-one has filled the gap that the Worry Dolls vacated, with the sheer, feisty joie de vivre of that opening EP or the elegant beauty of their later work. Individually brilliant but as Worry Dolls they were imperious once more and the collective appreciation of just that opening song nearly took the roof off!

Rosie would kick off the guitar, for "Bless Your Heart" as the applause started to die down. Joined by Zoe's banjo on the chorus, this unique sound proved that there is nothing quite like Worry Dolls in full flow. For "Train's Leaving", Rosie would don her harmonica, and the gentle guitar start would soon speed us into a banjo led jamboree. At one point there was a glorious mix of banjo, guitar and harmonica, Rosie puffing away frantically in a song that delivered complete entertainment.

A Worry Doll's first would see Rosie sat at the piano, while Zoe would sing while standing stationary and majestic for "Firefly". The piano on "She Don't Live Here Anymore" matched to the magnificent harmonies made for something truly special, a song so perfect you almost wished it would not end - it was that captivating. Resuming her position after adjusting the mic back up, Rosie would introduce "Tidal Wave" as the sound moved into full Americana mode and sounded as rootsy as if we were gathered around a campfire. Naturally the sound then moved into the stomp of "Long Gone" from the "Burden" EP, from the banjo intro, to the fast paced chorus, this was the spirited sound that had drawn us to Worry Dolls in the first place, and years later it still sounded brilliant.

The main set would close with "Endless Road", initially another chance to savour the harmonies over quiet guitar playing, before gradually the banjo would join in to make things perfect and complete. A standing ovation would extend the afternoon by one more song "River" - It was one last chance to enjoy the innovative sound and harmonies of Worry Dolls. It may have been a special one off event in front of possibly the worlds most devoted Worry Dolls fans, however hopefully it lit some small fire that might see them want to reform in some format. It was a true honour to see Zoe and Rosie together again, putting on a show that was the essence of everything that made them so great in the first place, the humour, the playing, the harmonies - it really doesn't get much better than this.