Eight intense musicians are crammed into a circle in a snug chapel in central Cambridge, their audience mere inches away, on the same level but perched on chairs topped off by embroidered cushions. You would not want to risk the tight rat-run to the toilet as caroline’s players become more and more animated, jostling for what little elbow room there is.
Moving at all is a risk, frankly, lest the wicker beneath you creaks as this big, loud band grow quieter and quieter. Mostly, caroline – they prefer a small c – play in the near-dark, setting up a dilemma for the Observer’s photographer. How to capture this transporting new act in full flow while not ruining their spell? (In the end, we have one song with the lights on.)
