Belinda's piano evokes Edwardian parlours, yet with a modernist undercurrent; poignant, nostalgic yet somewhat unsettling, it defines the character of the duo's unusual, hard-to-pin-down style, drawing on folk traditions, especially that of their own Irish families, yet quite without any bucolic rural aspirations. Next to the piano the most important contribution comes from the female voice, for both are gracefully powerful singers. O'Hooley also contributes occasional accordion. Both contribute articulate, sensitive songwriting, telling interesting themes of real lives, well away from  fashionable society. In fact, whereas O'Hooley and the Unthanks blended, perhaps tensely, diverse influences, O'Hooley and Tidow are complementary to each other through similarity of character.

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