The East Pointers are a trio from Prince Edward Island, on Canada’s east coast, who mix stomping rhythms and virtuoso instrumental work. Fiddler Tim Chaisson and his banjo-playing cousin, Koady Chaisson, come from a family who have been musicians for seven generations. The duo are remarkable for writing songs that rework their Scottish and Irish influences, and they specialise in instrumentals that sound like tuneful Celtic standards, with banjo and fiddle both taking the lead. It’s all driven on by DIY foot percussion and backing from Jake Charron, who has two pick-ups on his guitar which allow him to provide both rhythm and bass lines. The tunes are interspersed with just three songs, which are well sung but less distinctive, and switch from laid-back folk-pop to the wistful country-edged Last Blank Page. No matter. They deserve to be one of the festival successes of 2016.
