The Unthanks have a well-deserved reputation for the diversity of their music, and the latest release in their “Diversions” series sees them re-imagining the rather obscure songs and poems of Molly Drake. Molly was the mother of actress Gabrielle and Nick, whose reputation since his early death in 1974 is now such that he is widely acknowledged as one Britain’s greatest singer-songwriters.

The songs, which were interspersed throughout the set with (pre-recorded) poetry read by Gabrielle, were originally written by Molly for the entertainment of family and friends, and the sparse but homely stage set, adorned with lamps, chairs and tables reflected this informality.

The sheer beauty of Rachel and Becky Unthanks’ harmonies - backed by Adrian McNally’s piano, Chris Price’s double bass, Niopha Keegan’s violin and Faye MacCalman’s clarinet and tenor saxophone - filled numbers such as “The Road To The Stars”, “Soft Shelled Crabs”, “I Remember” and “The First Day” with emotion, and painted vivid pictures.

Inevitably though, Nick Drake’s presence was never far from the surface. There was Molly’s “Poor Mum” a riposte to her son’s “Poor Boy”, and the prescient “Do You Ever Remember” written a decade before his death but which could have easily been written in the aftermath of his fatal overdose. Accompanied by brief footage of mother and infant Nick the combination provided a genuine lump in the throat moment. Becky also sang a sublime version of his classic “River Man”, during the encore which was worth the cost of admission alone.

Dave Lawrence