Midtown Dickens & friends bring charming folk to Duke Gardens

Photos by Kevin Norris

Isolated storms steered clear of Duke Gardens on Wednesday evening which meant that Midtown Dickens and a cavalcade of friends were able to play quirky folk for a lawn full of excited fans.

The band stumbled through through the first part of the set having issues with guitar straps and playing the right harmonica, but the rough-and-tumble nature of the set adds to their charm. Their set felt like hanging out with a bunch of friends who were playing music and sharing an evening with each other.

That sentiment was highlighted by many aspects of the set which early on included singing "Happy Birthday" to Catherine Edgerton and bringing her a cake on stage. This was followed by a cover of Des Ark's "The Artistic Possibilities Of Sub-Standard Housing & Food Stamps."

As previously announced, the band were joined by a bunch of friends from other local bands to play with them including Joe Hall of Hammer No More the Fingers, Christy Smith of The Tender Fruit, Drew Anagnost and Mark Daumen of Lost in the Trees, Leah Gibson of Bowerbirds and Brad Cook of Megafaun. This local camaraderie added to the "we're all in this together" vibe of the show.

Anyone who missed the set or wants to see Midtown Dickens again can catch them playing TRKfest in Pittsboro on Saturday with Megafaun as The Piedmont Family Band. Check out more info on the festival HERE.