30th anniversary reunion sees these self-confessed hippies return to their roots for an album of pastoral folk.

Back in the early seventies, when British folk was in its ascendancy, Heron shared the bill with the great and the good of the music festivals, but somehow never received their fair share of recognition. A self-proclaimed band of hippies, no one could accuse them of mere posturing: they were one of the first bands to record an album (released on the collectable Dawn label) in the open air.

Now reformed, they have returned to that same Devon cottage garden for this, a newly recorded collection of old favourites and unreleased tracks. For the most part a gentle ramble through songs of love, lost innocence and rural mysticism the blend of acoustic guitars, mandolin, accordion and piano is uplifted by the group's rich harmonies.

This is a fine performance; the new interpretations of old songs sound fresh without being over-polished and, despite being unashamedly romantic, the music still sounds immediate. With another album of entirely new songs in the pipeline, Heron deserve to have more luck the second time around.

TIM FORSTER

Many thanks to Tim Forster and MOJO magazine for permission to reproduce this review.