The Shee are a six-piece band of distinguished female instrumentalists who are mostly from Scotland. Their latest album, Continuum, is dominated by songs and tunes written for them by famous admirers from the British folk scene – including Karine Polwart, Chris Wood, and Kathryn Tickell – to celebrate their 10th anniversary. For this London gig, these were mixed with demonstrations of rapid-fire Gaelic “mouth music” or clog dancing from north-eastern England, in an extraordinarily varied show that still never quite allowed them to demonstrate their full range.

Half the set consisted of instrumental pieces, which included tunes written for the band by Tickell, mixing duelling fiddles from Olivia Ross and Shona Mooney with sturdy mandolin work from Laura-Beth Salter, and a new Andy Cutting piece that allowed a demonstration of Amy Thatcher’s fine accordion playing. But Rachel Newton, a harpist known for her inventive solo albums and work with the Furrow Collective, rarely had a chance to demonstrate her range, though she provided powerful lead vocals on Polwart’s Song for Mary.

Ross showed her vocal skills on Chris Wood and Hugh Lupton’s poignant Cradle Song, but the evening’s best songs were from Salter. Her own angry and political From the Shadows deserved a more furious response from the band, and her treatment of Martin Simpson’s pained Dance With Me was the high point of a classy if sometimes frustrating set.