Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike delivered an eclectic and energetic bluegrass tour-de-force to a packed Queen's Hall on their first ever performance in Wales, featuring the highly original song-writing, fiddle and claw-hammer banjo playing skills of Becky Buller, the resonator guitar virtuosity of Chad Graves, the rock solid bass of Bobby Davis and the always powerful, yet tasteful guitar of Eric Lambert. 

From the first few bars of the opening song it was obvious why Valerie Smith is held in such high regard by her peers on the US bluegrass circuit.  Her voice and delivery was absolutely first rate, and the band never missed a beat. From hard driving bluegrass to old time traditional, though jazz-tinged classics, previously unheard original songs and unaccompanied gospels, the range of material included in the set list was wide ranging and well balanced.

The band is known for their excellent stage presentation, with a lot of moving in and out of different microphones, and this certainly creates a sense of excitement and energy, which was clearly transmitted to the audience. By the end of the evening they were shouting for more. This was an excellent show by a thoroughly professional and highly polished band that will always be remembered by those fortunate enough to have been there. The question many were asking by the end of the evening was “when are they coming back?

You can find more photos from the show in our gallery on MySpace.

Valerie Smith and Liberty Pike will be playing at the Queens Hall in Narberth, Pembrokeshire Monday, July 28th. Advance tickets can be purchased from the Queens Hall website or by contacting This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it . All proceeds from this event will benefit the Transatlantic Scholarship Fund which provides free tution to young bluegrass musicians from 16-25. 

Find out more about the Nashville-based band and their forthcoming UK tour here.