http://poetryatthegreatgrog.blogspot.com/
featuring: Robert Crawford, Gerry McGrath, Julia Rampen, JL Williams
“Poetry at the Great Grog has moved to the Jekyll & Hyde Pub (the ‘cellar
bar’) at 112 Hanover Street, on the left hand side of the road, between
George Street and Queen Street.
Hear some of the best poetry in the UK in a great atmospheric environment.
Entry cost is by donation (suggestion of £3).”
He’s not been along to OOTB for a few weeks (as far as i know), but he’s posted a link to his new site in the OOTB bulletin board, Dave Robertson, aka Heroin in a Nutshell, has some demos online that you can listen to with your ears. Get to it, and then let him know what you think of them! You’ll thank yourself!
Mutant Lodge
Nyk started off with a set of new material, the only thing you can expect about Nyk’s songs is that you don’t know what to expect. Mr Sleaze was a bright and buzzy satire about a music night host who only opens his mouth in order to change feet. Well that’s my interpretation anyway. “Kitten in a Bong” Nyk insists is just a made up story, but it must be true because I read it in The Metro, “Ancient hippies sit around all day long, listening to Gong”… quite! The set finished with burst of frenetic weirdness with “Calypso”, a surreal moment in anybody’s life.
Peter
Peter’s set featured a harmonium and Mongolian throat singing, I promise that I’m not making this up! I’ve heard throat singing before, on paper it looks like it should be impossible as the singer generates an overtone to their own voice so that they’re singing two notes at once. It sounds a bit like a Step Phaser or some kind of high pass filter. Peter used the Harmonium as a drone note as he sang in a clear tenor voice, liberally incorporating celtic melodies and high Bel canto notes. The first two songs were about Selkies, a Scottish version of the mermaid legend in which some seals have the ability to shed their sealskins and take on the form of a beautiful human. The stories about them usually don’t end well with some poor love struck human falling in love with a Selkie when they’re walking on the land and stealing their sealskin so that they can’t ever return to the Sea. There have been a number of folk songs written about them over the years, and I’m sure Pete’s second song was based on one of them. There are some singers who can make calm descend over a room and silence an audience, Peter certainly has that enviable gift. A beautiful voice… perhaps someone to consider for a featured artist slot, the ruling junta at OOTB can ponder that one. In any case it would be a pleasure to have him back at some point
Brokentooth
So I was up next and at a bit of loss as what to follow Peter with. For the record it was:
Guns in the Desert
Hearts and Spades
Muses Song
I gave a little speech about my strange belief that music literally is Magic. We talk about music quite happily in magical terms, ie “enchanting, bewitching, evocative, spellbinding” etc In the middle ages composers were encouraged to avoid using the devils interval, a flattened fifth, because of the belief that it really did conjure up Ol’ Nick, Beelzebub, the Adversary, The Prince of Lies, Set, Satan, The Lord of this World, Lucifer himself. Not that I believe a word of that b*llocks! Oh by the way the flattened fifth became the backbone of the blues and heavy metal.
Calum Carlyle
Calum opened with “The Acid Test” which sounded slightly reminiscent of Jimmy Page’s guitar work, maybe it was just the 12 string that he was once again using to great effect. Shirat HaYam (Song at the Sea) is based on a song from the Old Testament that Calum took the brave artistic decision to learn phonetically and sing in the original Hebrew. Interestingly the song name checks Elohim, a name for God which can be translated as “Gods and Goddesses”. Well I find it interesting as it seems to suggest to me that the early Jewish people didn’t believe in a monotheistic patriarchy. On a lighter note the vocal line at the beginning, homage to “Paint It Black” at all Mr Carlyle? Calum slipped in a cheeky cover of Storyville a song by Hannah O’Reilly, you’ll hear more about her and the song later.
Ryan
Young Ryan commanded the stage next with a song called Trotsky’s Ghost, apparently about a middle management type wigging out on crystal meth and imagining that he’s being haunted by the spectre of the dead communist; in terms of theme and music it reminded me a bit of Morrissey and The Smiths, or similar intelligent literary rock. The second song was called “Destroyer” about the end of the world as we perceive it; I love it when songwriters don’t do the regular “boy meets girl saga”. Again another cover was brought to stage on this relaxed night with a version of a Joanna Newsom song. It translated very well from the original harp and squeaky voice of the original, which Ryan let me have a swift listen to when we were outside for a fag during the break. Hope to see you back down the Tron again soon, Ryan.
Nicky Carder and Calum Carlyle
This was the first time I’d seen Nicky and Calum play a set together properly. Nicky’s songs have always sounded to me like they’ve been written with a full band in mind, so it was noteworthy to hear the first stage her sound being fleshed out with more musicians. The interplay between the two guitars was a respectful dance with Calum proving to be an effective foil. Nicky seems to skirt close to a lot of potential pitfalls without actually falling in any of them. She’s got gift for strong melodies and the songs are instantly accessible, but the lyrics are intelligent and quirky enough to avoid becoming lightweight pop rock. Nicky’s got an impressive amount of raw talent (she rides a mean unicycle too; I promise I’m not making this up). It’s going to be interesting to see how her style gets further refined as she’s come an awful long way during her journeyman period with us. A little bit more diversity, with some light and shade, and exploring some different keys could perhaps broaden her appeal. Right now though it’ll be intriguing to find out how the band sound once the ground work has been fully realised.
Hannah O’Reilly
With her opening song I think Hannah pulled a first for Out of the Bedroom by playing a song that had previously been played by another act that night. “Storyville” is about EJ Bellocq a photographer from the early 1900’s based around New Orleans. After his death a portfolio of 89 relaxed and realistic sepia images of whores from the Storyville area of New Orleans, (the city’s notorious legal Red Light District and the legendary birthplace of jazz) were discovered on the original glass plates. With the song Hannah performs a trick similar to the photographs themselves, which aren’t really standard erotica, in creating something slightly melancholy and beautiful from something potentially sordid. The chorus references the unfound series of prints that Bellocq was supposed to have taken later in the opium dens of New Orleans Chinatown. “And then the opium flowed as far as we know, time stood still in 1915.” Apparently Hannah doesn’t really think of herself as a piano player, which is a little unfair as the arrangements are handsome yet understated, and slightly unconventional. Her last song, a new one for which she was still on the book, featured a weird quirk of not having the tonic chord from the key she was playing in. Eg playing in the key of G, but without a G major cropping up. HA! Told you that I’d explain the theory behind that Hannah!
Gordon
Gordon 14 April 2009
Gordon, who I think was a first time performer at the Tron, gave us a harmonically rich piece with sparse lyrics and an indie rock mumble, the guitar carrying most of the piece which segued neatly into his second song in a similar vein . I was talking to Gordon about Bob Dylan before his set; it was only his last piece, a more conventional singer-songwriter acoustic number that has anything of the Zimmerman about it. It would be good to see Gordon back again at some point, as the material certainly had potential and I’d be interested in hearing what else he can bring down to the basement bar in the Tron.
Alex
Alex and Matt split the last three songs between them, Alex was up first and sang in a rich baritone with a very slight country tinge to it. He struck me as a man who is all about the song in a very meat and potatoes, back to basics kind of a way. That’s not a criticism, just because you’ve got a simple set of bricks doesn’t mean that you can’t build something interesting out of them, in fact second song, and my favourite, wouldn’t have sounded out of place being played by the Band or some other .60s/70s luminary.
Matt
Squeezing in one song at the end, Matt in flannel shirt and baseball cap gave us the first airing of a new song, a summery yet heartfelt number which rounded off the night nicely.
Review: Jim Thomson
Compere: James Whyte
Sound: David O’Hara
Review 31/03/09
Tonight was no ordinary OOTB- as the banner across the stage proudly proclaimed to all and sundry, tonight’s OOTB was all in aid of Oxjam; this could mean only one thing: bring on the covers!
Rosie Bell – Rosie’s first is a wistful piano ballad, singing of “making a world of music”- Rosie’s lyrics are full of acute observations, and really engaging. Her second is a hilarious cover of “hallelujah”, castigating the plethora of performers who constantly murder what at heart is a great song: Rosie sings about “the critic scribbling ‘this song wrecked my night’”- quite the contrary in this case; Rosie sets the tempo for a cracking night.
Cameron and Scott (and the shaky thing from Ghana) – This duo begin with a cover of a song by Angus and Julia Stone (no, I haven’t either). It’s a real foot-tapper- the shaky thing from Ghana is certainly a sound investment. Really enjoyed the backing vocals at the finale; fine performance. Anyone could have been forgiven for expecting some sort of ZZ Top tribute on the second song given the matching black guitars; instead we get a cover of PJ Harvey (I personally breathed a sigh of relief)- another strong rendition, some tight harmonies, and neat guitar interplay on show- the duo brought a rawness to the song in its stripped down arrangement which may be lacking in the original. Good stuff!
Nicky – Nicky begins with a cover of a song by ‘Soil’ who are a really heavy rock outfit apparently. This is what a covers night is all about; Nicky really makes the song her own; it’s a different style to her original material, but the heavy rock chords provide ample background for her trademark powerhouse vocal. I can really imagine not liking this song in its original incarnation, however I thoroughly enjoyed Nicky’s rendition; perhaps not as much as our compere this evening, but I did so all the same.
Her second is just a brilliant concept: Bonnie Tyler sung as hard acoustic rock- I certainly wouldn’t have recognised this one, and with a bit of polish, this could be a cracking cover when Nicky performs it at the unsigned competition she’s in; best of luck with it Nicky! Now all together…. “I NEED A HERO!!!!”
Broken Tooth – Jim starts with a song that confirms a fear which we all subconsciously harbour…yes, ducks would given half the chance “mock your hair style, and sleep with your wife”. Definitely one very few will have heard before on tonight’s bill…ha ha. Never mind… his second is an acapella rant about “What keeps mankind alive”- this is almost a piece of acting; Jim really portrays the anger, with fine enunciation and lots of vehemently rolled ‘r’s. We saw a really different side to Broken Tooth tonight and a really entertaining one at that.
Out of the Oxjam – For the first minute or so I don’t think anyone in the band let alone the audience knew exactly what was happening- but the OOTO band gave us a fantastic country jam version of “Don’t Look Back in Anger”- it was a venerable Band Aid of OOTB stalwarts, with Broken Tooth and Cameron joining the whole jamboree on stage. The performance was infectiously jaunty- solos and dischords were added at each performer’s discretion, though kept on track towards the end by Peter, who sang the song powerfully- I particularly enjoyed the line “Please don’t put your life in the hands/ of a country western band”. A raucous romp through a britpop classic. Brilliant.
Hannah – Dusty Springfield on a ukulele; what’s not to like? I thought the arrangement on this was a really original idea; the sparse backing of the uke focused attention on vocal, whose purity and pitch gave the lyrics a real sweetness. There was even room for a whistle solo; again, what’s not to like?
Sam – I must profess something of an interest at this point because Sam begins with a cover of one of my absolute favourite artists, Ryan Adams. This was an unbelievably accurate rendition. If you closed your eyes, it pretty much could have been the man himself; Hannah’s backing vocals added a layer of authenticity to this Americana acoustic ballad “Strawberry Wine”. On his second, Sam shows great versatility in the vocal singing a Kings of Leon song (can’t remember the title), proving he can do rock as well as ballads. Another original cover, and another cracking set from two of the most exciting new acts at OOTB at the moment.
Calum Carlyle – Calum really enters into the spirit of the evening playing covers of OOTBers. He starts with crowd favourite “Gimp Boy” (originally by Nyk Stoddart)- Calum’s snarling vocal gives the song a nasty edge which was well suited to the song; as usual the audience joins in with the triumphant chorus. Next, we hear a cover of Nicky Carder- really interesting to hear this; although the arrangement was pretty similar, Calum gave a very different rendition in the vocal, less angry than Nicky’s perhaps, but it gave the song a different perspective. Calum didn’t seem too happy about his performance, but I thought it was a fine tribute to both performers.
James Bligh – I’ve not seen James play before, but I was very impressed by his skilled finger picking. Very Jose Gonzalez-esque. I particularly enjoyed his second which had a wonderfully ethereal ending. The vocal could do with a bit more confidence, as it was a bit quiet in places, but there’s no doubt the talent is there. Strong set from James, I hope to see him return soon.
I then took to the stage to play a cover of Rob Sproul Cran’s “Japan”, and “Build me up Buttercup” (not written by Rob Sproul Cran). This is what our irreverent host Mr. Calum Haddow had to say about the whole endeavour:
“Jonny Smells of win.”
One for the myspace methinks. Thanks for the fine praise Calum.
Scott – Really good to hear another poet at ootb, however this performance seemed a little rushed, perhaps because of the 10 minute slot. The material was difficult to engage with because there were scant breaks between each piece. Scott is undoubtedly a skilled poet and I would be interested to read his stuff – his material is peppered with acute observations, and there is a breadth of content on show. Next time though it would be great to hear a more ‘in depth’ set with fewer poems, which would allow the audience to really engage with the material. Hopefully we will get the opportunity to at some point.
Nyk – “Mr Sleaze” is a scathing character piece from Nyk – perhaps influenced by Calum’s snarling vocal on his cover? Interesting to see Nyk doing this different sort of material. Next though we are treated to classic Stoddart, with unfettered acoustic psychadelica. Class.
Anthony (debut) – Anthony may have been a wee bit nervous before coming on, but he delivered a confident performance. “Policeman” is a great idea for a song, with some fantastic lyrics; Anthony really paints a picture in the words, which are convincingly delivered. Unfortunately I didn’t catch the name of his second, but it begins with furious strumming, and sings of more conventional songwriter fare (broken hearts et al.); nothing wrong with that though! Anthony clearly has an ear for a catchy melody, and hopefully we shall hear some more tunes from him soon. Promising stuff.
Gerry - 21 April 2009
Gerry – Gerry’s first showcases his impressive voice, with some excellent sustained notes, over intricate hammer-ons and pull-offs on the guitar. “I’ll take my chances and run” he sings. His second “Dogs coming in” is a rockier number, with a really memorable chorus. Again the performance is committed, with another strong vocal performance. A really enjoyable set, from a clearly talented performer.
Cameron – Next up, Cameron treats us to some heart-rendering original material- he sings of dying “by your side”, silencing the audience with a desperate tale of loss. His second is a confessional piece, which lends the performance an air of authenticity, as he sings about “the trouble with the straight and narrow”. A really engaging couple of songs!
A tense bidding war ensued for the final two songs of the night (which saw £12 go to Oxjam); then clouds descended, the horseman of the apocalypse appeared, a woman fainted…Calum Haddow had taken to the stage. He performed a swing version of “New Born” by Muse. I don’t really know what else I can say. You had to be there.
Cameron (returns)! – the joint victor of the bidding war supplemented his earlier set with a fine cover of “Disco 2000” by Pulp. I had never heard this done acoustic before, but it worked really well, and had the audience gleefully singing along. A fine way to end an absolutely cracking night at OOTB!
review by Jonny Pugh
OOTB 335 – 24th March 2009
It’s another mammoth pot-pourri of excellent music tonight at OOTB, so without further ado, here’s what i wrote about it, hurriedly, and on borrowed paper…
Furious (Willie) – Furious starts us off with a ninetiestastic slice of what was once enthusiastically called Britpop. It’s quite nice that Britpop’s lasting legacy is the singer-songwriter ethic. Furious exemplifies this well. His second song recalls the nineties as well (for me anyway), and it’s another slow one. His third picks the pace up a bit though, it’s called Curiosity which, given his stage name, would look great on the cover of a single. It’s quite complex and entertaining. This is my favourite of the three for sure.
http://www.myspace.com/furiousthesoloartist
Alex & Donald (Seven Deadly Sins) – They start with Miss Parker, a bittersweet country pop song, a bit like a strawberry milkshake on a hot day. The bridge has a bit of harmonica which is nice. Good harmonies too. They carry on with Silver on Gold, more twin guitar countryness, there’s some lovely lead guitar on this song. They quickly plug their band (Seven Deadly Sins) and finish with a song which is a bit groovier, sort of a timechanging rock folk acoustic vibe. Colin mentions to me that the chap on the right has “good hands”, surely a compliment!
http://www.myspace.com/thesevendeadlysinsofficial
Nicky Carder – This is the first public performance of Nicky’s newest song, I’ll Find You Unexpectedly, about a chance meeting between three musicians in Glasgow Central station, an upbeat pop number with foot tapping rock overtones. Nicky’s busy guitar playing is a great backing for her soaring voice. Secondly she plays Little Purples, it’s a quieter, contemplative number made all the more poignant when you realise it’s about her shoes! Finally, one of my favourites, Between The Floorboards. This is the song Nicky played when she successfully qualified for the regional finals of “Vodafone Live & Unsigned” (which will be held in Newcastle on 2nd May). Always a pleasure!
http://www.myspace.com/nickycardermusic
Broken Tooth – I personally think it’s fine to use some of your fifteen minutes to state your opinions, but Broken’s comments about the arms trade seem to be a bit lost on the audience. Still, he keeps it short and appropriately plays his new song Guns In The Desert. The guitar part in this is particularly nice. Mister Tooth does a great job of making a six string guitar sound like a twelve string here. He tells us a quick story about the Hellfire Club and launches into Hoodoo Man, one of my favourites off his CD actually. I like the atmosphere f this song and it’s been a while since i’ve heard it. Again, lovely guitar. Finally, a new one, Muse’s Song, about songwriting. He did this recently at the Blazer, more confidently in my opinion, i feel like Toothy sometimes comes across better in a lower tech setting, though to be honest the highly lamentable lack of a monitor speaker at OOTB may well be the low tech setting that’s putting him off his game slightly in this song. If so, he’s coping valiantly.
http://www.myspace.com/electricwhiteboy
The Angel Conversations – Nice to see these guys again, still playing as a duo rather than as a larger band as they used to do. It doesn’t stop them playing some powerful ballads though. They introduce their second as one they’ve “not quite written yet”, but to me it sounds like a good one with plenty of highs and lows, with a good combination of quiet verse and noisy chorus. They finish with Rain and Shine which is very well sung and very well played, and it swells up beautifully for the middle 8. I think my favourite of the set was the new one though, which is always a good sign.
http://www.myspace.com/theangelconversations
Townhouse – Playing as a three piece band, a configuration i haven’t seen them in before, Townhouse sound professional from their first note. Lisa Paton has a really powerful voice and it’s backed well by the band. Interesting songs too with plenty of hard hitting lyrics. Key changes and unexpected harmonies crop up frequently too, but always in the context of the song, like a well folded cake mixture. Very smooth and very tight, but still very real.
I’ve heard Stuart and Lisa separately before, and playing as a duo, but with the full three-piece band they take it to another level, it really works. They’re really good at singing harmonies with each other. By the third song, Lisa’s got her mandolin out. It’s excellent to hear mandolin driven songs at OOTB, there should be more of it. Keep it up Lisa! The third song also features a whistled hook line from Stuart which genuinely sounds as good as a flute.
Townhouse were only going to play five songs but luckily they relent and play Stuart’s excellent song about childhood social conditioning. It’s great, one of my favourites of his actually. You should hear it. They finish with a stormer of course and leave us wanting more…
http://www.myspace.com/townhousesound
Lorraine McCauley and Peter Michael Rowan – Lorraine and Peter are two thirds of a soon-to-be-unleashed band, the third party of which is Rob Sproul-Cran, should be interesting. Anyway, Peter plays a different instrument for each of the three songs, mandolin (yeah!), fiddle and guitar. Lorraine has a lovely voice made of chocolate and camembert, and Peter’s accompaniment is very complimentary to it. He knows how to add to the music without obstructing the song. I’ll certainly look forward to hearing the full ensemble. Their first Edinburgh gig as a three piece will be at the Blue Blazer on Sunday 17th May (get there for 8pm, free admission).
http://www.myspace.com/lorrainemccauley
Colin Milne – Playing his much talked about glute he tells us “all these songs are sort of true, with exaggerations, you know”. Colin’s unique. He gives us three surprising songs as usual(!). Colin’s got a unique songwriting style, a unique outlook on life and a unique demeanour in general. Not only that but his lyrics are enough to make anyone blush! He’s a true performer, and i don’t think he plays his songs many other places than Out of the Bedroom, we’re lucky to have him!
Calum Carlyle – I played a song next and when i got back to my seat, the following review had magically appeared on the page! Written by Mr Pugh possibly, here’s what it says: Whispers in the Wind – an intelligently picked chord progression around G effortlessly accompanies Calum’s gravelly vocal. Not his usual vocal style but I think it’s a really effective change for this song. Laid back, but upbeat song, really catchy chorus, again with some great bassline runs.
http://www.myspace.com/calumcarlyle
Ryan – Ryan seems a bit nervous, but he performs admirably regardless. He says his first, Soldier is “the oldest song I’ve written that I don’t hate”. He manages to rock out though, despite technical issues. His songs are slightly uneasy, slightly apprehensive, but there’s a certain unashamed amount of rock in there somewhere. His final song is a murder ballad, one of my favourite subgenres at the moment. This one’s about euthanising your loved one after she’s been shot, not played for laughs at all, which is good. He assures us he’s never done this in real life, which is a relief to me at any rate.
Sam – Sam’s great. He’s a powerful performer with a strong voice and lovely expansive guitar playing. Beautiful fingerstyle guitar parts and really catchy vocals, he’s a joy to listen to actually. It turns out i have heard Sam before at an event in Orkney, here’s the review: http://www.orkneyfolkfestival.com/23.pdf Many people had left by the time Sam came on which was a shame because i thought he was one of the best solo performers this evening. He’s a bit like if David Gray was incredibly good and could also play guitar like Bert Jansch.
http://www.myspace.com/twoscompany
Ivor – One instrumental from Ivor, another interesting fingerstyle guitarist. It’s lovely and it involves quite a lot of interesting harmonics and hammer-ons. Quite an organic piece, it’s the sort of thing that could easily go on a CD as the first track even though it’s an instrumental. Nice work, Ivor, worth staying up past bedtime for!
Jonny Pugh Compered and Jim Whyte did the sound (i think) and Calum Carlyle (who?) did the review.
For your information, here’s a note received from someone other than the Edinburgh Free Fringe that some of you may be interested in. OOTB doesn’t take responsibility for the accuracy of this message.
If anyone is interested in playing in the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival and/or slots on the Pear Tree garden stage in August check out www.freefestival.co.uk and email alex@laughinghorse.co.uk
If you fancy performing in the Free Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year and/or on the Pear Tree garden stage in August, drop the organiser Alex Petty a line: alex@laughinghorse.co.uk It’s great fun, you do not have to pay extortionate fees to hire a venue at festival time and your only real outlay is £20 for single shows or £40 for multiple shows in the Free Festival programme and website.
PS: Apologies but I made a mistake with the cost of advertising in the Edinburgh Fringe programme … not sure where I got the £70 figure from but it’s a quite a bit more than that, especially now that the 27th March early bird discount deadline has passed. So this bit of the message is incorrect:
If you are really keen you can also pay £70 for a one off entry in the Fringe Festival programme which could boost your audience numbers and pay for flyers with which you can merrily annoy locals and tourists alike, but Alex can tell you more about all of that.
OOTB 17/03/2009
An outstanding night, filled with so many new performers of great quality. We old-timers are wondering if the new vanguard has arrived.
Martin
Martin sports tea cosy hat like Cat Douglas, all around me are worried about what his teapot is wearing.
His first is called Gravity and is about measuring things.
He loses the knitwear for his second, which the very erudite Nyk Stoddart informs me is based on Cannery Row, the classic Steinbeck novel set in 30s depression America – the book is apparently great, the song is well – not so great.
Death by design is about being killed by your own inventions, I wonder if songs can be fatal.
Calum Carlyle
The webdude extraordinaire steps up to the mike. I might as well be positive because Calum is the one who posts out these reviews.
First up is a new song which is very high in his range – If I were you, I would put this later in a set, to give your voice a chance to warm up before hitting the ionosphere.
His second is rather funky, think about Stevie Wonder and you won’t be far wrong. Jim Thomson is enthroned upon a green settee, enhaloed by a spotlight, his flowing locks shaking to the groove.
There is a really cool imaginary bass player doodling along to Calum’s third. Calum manfully attempts to play rhythm, lead and bass lines all at once. I rather liked it.
Ross Neilson
Another tea-cosied performer – perhaps I am just behind the times. Tonight he gives us his new more folky material.
Camouflage Myths is out of Ross’ normal territory – it has a singalong chorus.
His second he performs differently tonight, more gently than I’ve heard it before – and it suits it.
Calum says it’s British Amerifolk, I think its rather like Jim Ponter with its insistent repetition of chords – no bad thing, although I’m informed that someone else complained about this, so I can’t be far wrong about the comparison.
Cameron
Cameron tells us about being accosted in the street and told to work hard at uni and not be a butcher – which he has made into his first song. It laid back and he has a nice voice. He follows this up with a Christmas song – in March? His last is somewhere between Jack Johnson and Damien Rice and cool changing time signature with a repeating pattern of 3 3 3 4. I’m wondering if he’s had some vocal training because he has a middle voice – never heard one before at OOTB. Good job.
Mayhew
Mayhew are normally a 5-piece, but tonight are a 3-piece with two guitars and a cello. My instant reaction is that it is lovely – these guys are clearly the pros in the room. The cellist is the finest I’ve seen on the acoustic scene – lovely tone and sympathetic playing. The singer has a fine clear voice – they announce a gig in the Jazz bar on the 1st April – I’m hoping that is not a joke, and would strongly encourage you all to go along.
Mark Roper
Mark just has a squashee tonight, and has ditched the laptop for the evening and brought along a guitar. I think he is considerably more confident with this approach and connects significantly better with the audience.
Broken Tooth
BT has become an evangelical atheist and give us a wee sermon with touches of Hitches and Dawkins – can’t say the audience responded too enthusiastically, but I thoroughly agreed with the sentiments. He launches into ‘Sing at my Funeral’ with some fervour – probably the best I’ve heard him.
Greg Taylor (debut)
I’m not sure if Greg is American, but he looks like he just walked off a 1950’s TV programme – clean cut and big grin. The songs all have multiple sections in different rhythms and tempos. The powerpop bits are quite catchy, but his voice is rather pitchy in the more lyrical sections. If marks were given for confidence he’d win hands down.
Henryk
Henryk is the singer from Chateaux Greyskull – which is a genius name, so I’ll not hear a bad word said about him. Strawberries and Cream has a jazzy backing, but harsh as sandpaper vocals. I rather liked the guitar. Fugue in G was his somewhat mysteriously titled second song – it was in G, but had no sign of a fugue, actually fairly straightforward blues. His third was a new song – and everyone agreed that it was almost Lou Reed. A good and varied set, I wonder what the band is like.
Sam (debut)
Sam and his girlfriend Hannah have just moved up to Edinburgh to be with Adam, and all three are making debuts tonight. His first is about getting your heart broken – it has touches of Noel Coward, but the falsetto passages are almost Matt Bellamy – this is a powerful and thick falsetto. His second lies somewhere between George Harrison and the Weepies. His third completes three tunings in three songs – always a nifty trick (I wasn’t paying enough attention, but from memory I think the first was standard, the second something open, and the third drop-d).
His music is all heavily jazz tinged, and it is great to hear such a variety of chords and clear understanding of harmony. I’d be hard pressed to think of another acoustic player of his calibre in Edinburgh. Hannah sings backing vocals – strong, good harmonies, great voice.
Adam (debut)
Adam (friend of Sam) has a similar jazz background. He is no slouch on the guitar himself, albeit in a rather different style. He has a nice voice with just a hint of smokiness. He plays ‘1984’ and ‘Coming Down Slow’, two fine songs. I have to say the debuts are the finest slots of the night tonight.
Hannah (debut)
Hannah plays ukulele in an uncomplicated but rather charming manner. She apologised for her skill, but I was rather taken by it. Whilst she can sing the jazz with Sam, her own material is slightly more country. She would sit quite happily on a bill between Lisa Paton and Emily Scott – in fact, I think I’ll recommend it.
Freelodin’ Frank
Frank gives us his Gaza protest song, I’m in Love with Scully from the X-files and I Wish Someone Would Kill Rupert Murdoch. Tonight the somewhat younger crowd seemed less interested than usual, but I’m a sucker for the funny ones.
Douglas
Says he has a bad cough and indeed the voice is struggling tonight, he’s a bit croaky, so I guess we’ll excuse him that. Lets hope he’s back soon in fine voice.
Reviewer: Daniel Davis
Compere: Jonny Pugh
Sound: Dave O’Hara
Tonight, a golden night of stars, wishes and other things maybe…With the moon, full up ahead – which seems to glow in the shifting sunset of the evening…
Rob Sproul-Cran
Robbie states that he sees stars…this is a new-old song which he sings in his characteristic high stiletto voice that aims to still the heartbeat of an amazed and expectant audience. “Frost-bitten fingers…sky wrenched asunder” adverbs Rob – which just bounces along – very much like the audience at this point.
No, i don’t know what that meant. This is a review by me remember!
Davy Watson
Sitting on the “elf-seat” surrounded by the stage – Davy deftly plays through one of me fave songs of his – “Black Light” – which is also a great title BTW – with its gloomy shifting minors and majors. He plays this song from a place deep in his heart, and has the audience spellbound.
“Try to comply…shows you blind on your side…ghosts of the past” evokes Davy as he hypnotises the audience. “I love you three” is a song that Davy gave to Spamborksee/Sparrowhawk/Spam originally a while back – and it’s fab to hear the original played by the original (?!) – i think this performance adds extra heart and powerful emotion. “Made up my mind” He sings “I left my heart outside” which he picks with flowing fingers – i hope he
plays more often at OOTB in future, as he is a class act!
Lindsay Sugden
Talking of class, What better way to celebrate a full moon than with a set from Lindsay Sugden – although bereft of the storm for tonight, she pulls out her solo set remixes.
“Promises can fade in the daylight” she sings whilst dancing, spindly chords form around the catchy melody line. This is a piece that has grown over a period of months, and fulfills it’s promise as a fascinating and atmospheric song. “On the wire” is one of her “greatest hits” you know – “Let me see your epiphany…i mean it…” she states, and i for one believe her!
“Time stands still” – Lindsay notices that often “amazing ideas fall on deaf ears” –
and that is while she reflects that “a lifetime away…where a miracle lies” – she sings this with a fragile beauty that evokes fantasies and dreams projected upon the world from a wistful heart.
Broken Tooth
Mr Broken brings out all the hits tonight – there’s no way that i can do justice to the intricate lyrics and varied musical styles this man embraces, so i’ll just witter on about haircuts and other military things…
“Hold fast” is a statement on atheism, and its many subtleties apparently – he bellows that this “ship ain’t sinking yet” whilst fast and slow bits smelt into a rising crescendo of prog. Yes. Prog. As in Prog. Rock. I say it again. Prog.
“Guns in the desert” We sold weapons to Morroco apparently, and he also mentions refugee camps – two reasons Why we should not travel there…propping up their economy and the damaged excuse for reality that is called their government.
“Borderline” an older song where he sings that “There’s no such thing as the devil” “What you know about the devil ?” he wails, along with a great central riff! The Prog blues king rulz! Yeah!
Daniel McGeever – Feature act
“It’s everywhere” Our feature act for tonight is the well respected Daniel McGeever – deceptively simple songs with lyrics like “Should have woke up…a long conversation with a good friend of mine…understanding feelings that are hard to say twice”
In “A visitor from Mars” he is discussing the images on the TV screen – he sees sci-fi through the lens of a real alien !
“On your way” has Davy Watson on harp – a travelling/driving song with the blues twist.
“In my heart” has a slow, sad harp from Davy – it tells of “trying to be myself again” “I don’t want to go home” with its images of New Orleans, Cleveland, Montreal etc. give it a rambling but interesting and kaleidoscopic quality. “What can i do” – “is it too late to change your mind ?” he asks while he weaves this into an intricate pattern including the line “I’ve got a feeling tonight that everythings gonna be alright” Next is a song that segues on from that in “Alright” – which has a bit of comping from the acquired taste that is the “Revolution 1” re-mix thing – something to be heard at any rate. “Felicity Vaughan” – A very pretty but simple love song.
An encore is requested and he plays “Everything’s coming my way…” which has jazzy, melodic chordings. A professional finish to a polished collection of songs – he has everyone glued throughout his entire set. Although not literally, as that might be very unfortunate…
Johnny
A sort of American indie – accoustic number or two. Two songs exactly the same – he states- not quite…there is the start of some interesting ideas here and hopefully he will return again with his spangly haircut and decisive chops as he obviously makes a strong impression on the audience. I must mention the hair again. “Fantastic, where DOES he get his hair done ?” says someone in the audience.
Calum Haddow
Eccentricity. Electricity. in human form. in the shape of a bat stapled to a leopard. In “Tetsio/Tesaro/Tesco” he sings that it “rains so hard the aeroplanes fell from the sky in giant drops”. class. “No name” because he didn’t want to offend Mr. Radiohead by its original title “Wolf at the door”. my fault for telling him. duh! he casually mentions that “All of my tendons torn…” and that something is “screaming at me in wolf”. Geniusmad.
“First Aid” Never has a song had such an apt title. It’s a bruised, jaunty, singalong, merciless mother of a song. Leadership training for overactive toddlers.
And that was Calum Haddow. Madness in a bottle – stapled to a gazelle.
Johnny Pugh takes over the reviewing reigns as Nyk Stoddart plugs in “Black Beauty”. Neigh!
“Indefatigable” says Rob Sproul-Cran “Gimp boy” a smile ripples across the audiences collective face as Nyk launches into his firm favourite.
Instantly recognisable from the catchy riff. Few people could say the words “Gimp Boy” to a roomful of people and still be considered something of a genius. Nyk is one of them.
“I dreamed my life away…” Psychedelic sounding intro. with chords sliding about the fretboard. This is one of Nyk’s “serious” songs (you can tell because he’s taken his Russian hat off) and it offers an effective contrast to his first song. One of the darkest I’ve heard from Nyk as he sings “I dreamed my life away”. “Bad Blues” – Davy Watson adds a real authenticity to this blues number. Underlies the vocal really well. What’s this ? Broken Tooth on the bongoes ?! A positive plethora of blues talent on show !
Thanks Johnny…(the tenners in the post BTW!) and now back to er…me…again…
Cameron
Cameron strides onto the stage, he very quickly shows that he has a good voice with an effective range. In “Won’t you save me ?” he sings plaintively of the possibility of rescue. “Try to stop” Has floating chord sequences with strumming on alternate beats. “Inside my mind” Is a more introverted tale, with his voice rising over lyrics that tell of many a night of dark introspection.
Rosscoe Galloway
Rossco Galloway and Friends 21 April 2009
Rosscoe hasn’t been to OOTB for a while…and it’s great to hear him back. An oak-seasoned pro just back from the alternate olympics, he begins with “Into the light” which shows his solid songwriter abilities. “Get Free” is a very catchy song – one of my faves – with interesting lyrics mentioning the Galapolas islands of all things – a signature song for him. Rosscoe is a songwriter and performer that writes from the heart and conveys many different meanings each time i hear him. To finish, Rosscoe does a Tica Douglas cover “Home from Home” with extra grunge – great to hear another version of this amazing song – a bittersweet finish to the night as Tica Douglas herself is now back over the pond in the U.S. – and Rosscoe does her song proud – capturing her almost-but-not-quite hip hop mellowness and mixing it in with his unique steadfast folkiness.
Now the stars go out, one by one – to the noise and the traffic of the Edinburgh streets – their paths which were entwined become difuse again, while the moon looks sagely on – as it has for a very long time – do i detect a smile from the face on the moon, between those craters and loose rocks ?
review by Nyk Stoddart
Review 03/03/09
Willie (Furious), Eddie (machar granite), Ross Neilson, Nicky Carder, Mark, Mia, Tommy, Gerry, Jim Bryce, Dave Robertson, CBQ, The Victorians and Mayhew.
Willie (Furious)
Willie starts the evening with a lively performance. His energetic, bouncy rhythms definitely kept the audience engaged and stopped all background chatter immediately. He has a great voice, full of passion and charisma. He uses some lovely dynamic changes, some great pauses and a nice rallentando to end his first song. Willie’s imagery stayed with me this evening, “army inside you with the rainbows shining through” He is “always on the move” using a harmonica to create a nice contrast to his rocky style. He definitely keeps “making impressions” on everyone watching.
P.S I like the colour of his guitar strap.
Eddie (machar granite)
I always look forward to Eddie’s performances and he definitely didn’t disappoint.
He opens with a great guitar riff and some good imagery.
“Watching from the windows as the world rolls by”
His words and melodies seem to flow from him. I drift away to his voice as his Scottish accent shines through beautifully.
A guy that keeps pigeons is the theme of Eddie’s next song. His finger picked guitar works brilliantly with his lyrics. “Circled overhead and in formation”, his sound is full but not too busy, and his voice is used gently to great effect. He puts “ words in our mouths so we have something new to say”.
Eddie’s themes give his song substance and meaning so when his flowing storyline subtly changes into a bold new guitar riff, it lifts the audience to the very end of song and keeps us watching while he slowly fades away.
Ross Neilson
Ross is a familiar face now at out of the bedroom and it is really great to hear some of his new songs.
His country sound is a good contrast to the previous performers. “I know you so well, I know you can’t tell”. His music has a Bob Dylan feel. He used a good bit of diminution in his intro and outro, which helped round his song off nicely.
His guitar rhythm works nicely with the vocal sequence and the held note in the voice is particularly effective as it gleams through the guitar riff.
“Shattered dreams don’t seem real” His conversation style vocals are quite complacent and help show off his softer side. A very good performance.
Nicky Carder (written by Calum Carlyle)
Nicky breaks the 1st commandment by doing a cover (though you’d never know it, she makes it her own completely)
I always smile when Nicky sings “everyone is watching me, I should have so much more to say”. We all know that feeling but the irony is that Nicky’s style is captivating, no wonder everyone is watching.
She finishes with another firm favourite, “ in hiding”. Tonight, she’s very much in control on her songs. This has been my favourite version of “in hiding” so far.
Mark
Mark is a breath of fresh air. He shifts the genre so dramatically, that if there was any sort of boredom out there, it has been completely eradicated.
Boogie has just been given a completely new meaning. If this guy can’t make everyone smile, no one can. His humorous tone and lyrics really steal the show. His self-created backing tracks boom in the background as he and everyone else in the room sway and nod to the music.
“We’ll both get older and we’ll both get fatter”. His amusing lyrics and brilliant use of “oooh”, mean that I’ll most definitely go home singing his awesomely catchy but cheesy, in the best possible way, songs.
Mark’s “L.O.V.E” song takes the average mainstream love song and turns it completely inside out. “ I don’t know if I should move to the bedroom or the door”.
His melancholic vocal tone is well balanced with the happy sounding constructed backing track and really enhances the humour aspect of his performance as well as his writing skills. There is a musical style sound in his music but he makes it realistic, creating a musical for everyday life. As the synth solo bellows out, he has time to grab a glass of water before finishing his very entertaining set.
Mia
Mia starts off her set with an extremely rhythmic guitar riff, which entwines with her individual and bold voice. She captures a touch of soul in her music. This is another nice contrast to the previous performers. Mia has such a full sound, her words are crammed with content and interesting phrases and yet she still maintains a happy feel as well as a great drive and a constant rhythm.
“I’ll stand outside your window and do my best to shine”.
She works her way around her chords and stretches her voice showing off her control. She lifts her chords up the fret board towards the end and paints out some intriguing, but yet focused, scat singing before ending her song, as she fades out she leaves her impression firmly with us.
Tommy
Tommy open with a good beat, his folky style is very apparent as he speeds up the strumming. He adds in a bit of harmonica and keeps everyone nodding along.
Tommy has a distinctive husky voice full of character and a lovely undertone that shines through. He keeps a tambourine under his foot, which helps fill the sound and carries the song along nicely. He slides his way around the guitar, including some a cappella pauses, which really highlight the tone of his voice. These pauses also really enhance the returning guitar theme. His Scottish accent edges every word and sounds out amongst the workings of the fret board. “ I can’t touch this flame”
Tommy had a very good slot this evening. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Gerry
Gerry confidently makes his way onto the stage with the noise of his fan club beating down around him.
Hammer-ons form a simple but effective guitar accompaniment, which work well with his powerful but controlled voice. He shows off his style with leaps in the melody.
“She can read my mind”
A subtle vibrato flows through his voice as he produces some well-written and very catchy melodies and yet maintains a confident but still relaxed feel.
“People come and go” “how can something that feels so right, feel so wrong at the same time”
Gerry uses some pretty heart-felt lyrics along with some great held notes, which are sung amongst well-constructed guitar playing. He continues to show an impressive sustain in his voice. He also makes some good changes in the tempo of the songs to keep them interesting and to maintain the attention from the audience, not that he needed too, his audience were listening intently to every word.
Gerry ends his slot with a very memorable chorus that I particularly enjoyed.
“Until my legs won’t carry me no more”
A great performance from Gerry.
Jim Bryce
This man needs no introduction. He was well anticipated and has not disappointed.
“He took up his fish slice and fried her in crumbs”.
Jim makes some weird mouth noises and combines them with even stranger lyrics to compose a very atmospheric and entertaining song.
“He sliced his brains to the bone and had them with pasta for his tea”
This particular song had a haunting feel to it, reminded me of an Addams family song or something. Jim has great animation in his voice as he tells his dark story amongst an individual use of finger picked chords.
Jim’s next piece is a contrasting song with some beautiful sounding piano and vocal melodies. He keeps his voice animated and turns his songs into something which sounds like a signature song for a character in a musical. This man seems to be very good at acting as he easily manages to grasp the glances of everyone in the room.
“I can’t shut my eyes for seeing pictures in my head”
He uses accents to punch out his words, he also makes use of dynamic contrasts and uses a nice bit of repetition.
Jim’s final song “moon and water song” starts with a penny whistle. He effectively bends the notes and displays a beautiful tune with acciaturas and long notes which are immediately followed by some melancholic but convincing a cappella singing. These nice sequences fill in the spaces and captivate the audience without the need for an accompaniment.
Jim’s songs combine humour and also a deeper and more serious under tone, they are brilliantly constructed and are received in admiration by every musician in the room. A very talented performing indeed.
Dave Robertson
I can tell that Dave listened to the same kind of music as I did when I was younger, It was nice to know that at least one person recognised the Soil cover I played earlier.
Dave has a very impressive vocal range. His voice includes a great deal of edge, which keeps his notes very bold even when he is singing in the higher register.
This guy is definitely into rock, his angsty, passion filled voice booms out and engages the crowd. He most definitely is not “invisible”.
Dave’s bold opening guitar riff jumps about in dynamic and rhythm. He really highlights his voice in the softer and more exposed areas before he explodes back in volume.
His great rhythm and accents drive his songs, which are full of power, his controlled screaming fades in and out as his songs develop.
Dave is becoming very confident and I particularly enjoy his unique balance of metal melody lines on an acoustic guitar.
CBQ
CBQ’s gentle sound is yet another good change in the atmosphere. I think there has been some higher force organising the programme tonight, as every act seems to have made an impact. CBQ’s soft sound floats around the room and into the distance after every phrase creating a very mellow and relaxing feel.
“I’ll see you around, don’t worry about the money”.
“I wave to the car as you drove off”.
His deep thoughts linger in everyone’s minds as he sings them out nicely.
“Don’t answer the call”
CBQ maintains a subtle but consistent drive throughout his songs as vibrato creep through his voice.
“When I come into the room, one thing that strikes me is the time”
“Play dead when you feel nothing at all”
He definitely makes up for his gentle voice by turning out deep and passionate lyrics that leaves everyone lost in thought.
The Victorians
The Victorians steal the show before they even touch the stage. Their magnificent stage present captures everyone and draws them in even if they don’t want to be drawn in. I’d like to see someone try and avoid making eye contact with them, the Victorians would probably storm out and drag who ever the culprit was and bring them onto the stage for the rest of their slot. As well as having great stage presence and a really nice jacket, the Victorians managed to construct the official out of the bedroom theme song.
“You’re going to find me at out of the bedroom, the Tron on a Tuesday at out of the bedroom”
As for their songs, as well as being ridiculously entertaining, they were very well formed and very well performed. The second vocal part was a nice subtle addition that really brought the best out of their music.
Lovely gentle voices peer out of humorous, well-spoken sentences, in beautiful harmonies.
“ I still put our affair in the past tense!”
The Victorians stamp away to the bouncy guitar rhythm.
“Don’t mind me I’m just passing through to somewhere more civilised, a little more me, a little less you”.
There was conversation happening mid song and la la la counter melodies in the background that not many people could pull off quite so well. This cabaret style duo had the best audience interaction I’ve ever seen and probably the most entertaining performance I’ve seen yet at out of the bedroom.
Thoroughly recommend them to anyone as there is only so much a silly little review can cram in, especially as a lasting impression is guaranteed.
Mayhew
Mayhew had a hard act to follow but they did so beautifully.
An ambient sound breaks out as harmonics and bass notes drive their song into existence. The cello seeps through, capturing a dark and beautiful sound that truly captivates the audience. My hand was glued to the paper as I scribbled down everything I could hear until the vocals came in. I had to put down my pen, this distinctive and beautiful voice flows amongst the guitar and cello perfectly. Words can’t describe such a full and beautiful sound and how much of an impact this particular combination of folk, classical and ambient rock melodies can have.
The music continues to lift and entwine with the words, constantly driven by the counter melodies of the guitar and cello, while the echoing voice carries effortlessly. The mixture of folk and classical guitars is very distinctive and takes the sound to the limit without it sounding too busy. I particularly love how consistent the beat was despite having no percussionist. The instruments take it in turn to lead the music, keeping it full and varied.
“torrents came out of nowhere”
The imagery becomes its own as it appears gently in the words.
“Frozen fragments” “tonight we hide, from view” “we’re standing in shallow water, the warnings came down in torrents”
Mayhew’s performance was one of the best live performances I’ve ever seen.
A band that everyone needs to see.
Review by Nicky Carder
Compere – Calum Carlyle
Sound by Daniel, Malcolm and David!
OOTB 330 – 17th February 2009
review by Lindsay Sugden and Nyk Stoddart:
Out of the Bedroom home-coming to The Tron!
Yes, after a whole load of years and immersing ourselves in
2 different venues, Out of the Bedroom returns to what might be our spiritual
home in the basement of the Tron…. And
fittingly it was a packed night with just about every ootb performer ever
showing up to get a bit of the atmosphere.
Rob SC finely hosted the evening and set us off in style
with his newest song… The one about seeing stars with lots of delicious
falsetto in true Rob style. And nice plinky
plonky guitar. Mmm.
He was followed by James who began his set with a
groan-inducing story about being on a blind date… er, an actual blind,
non-seeing, brown squishy fruit. Have
to take my hat off to him (if i was wearing one), telling jokes on stage is
something i doubt I will ever master. He pulled it off with class. Anyways, he
took us through 2 masterpieces which launched images first of some
Mediterranean island and then a beautiful Japanese sunset. Or something. I
enjoyed very much.
It’s great to see Paul Gladwell back as it’s been a while
since i caught him live. Worth the wait it was too. He started with a
percussive number, thrashing at the muted strings and getting rid of that
pent-up aggression. “Don’t like a woman who has never been disgraced”.. its all
pretty dark and mysterious with some clever lyrical twists. Next he wallows in a
bit of misery about
always being number 3. Is it a song about being stuck on the shelf? I don’t
know, but it’s sweet and lovable.
It’s been many days since i waited for Many Days Waiting to
take to the stage… this duo featuring virtuoso guitar and girl/boy harmonies
is a pleasure to watch. They are perfectly together and the harmonies blend
into a lovely, emotional web … the lyrics are intriguing, especially in the
second song about, um, flying space objects and crazy stuff. Well cool. It’s
impossible to watch without wanting to hum along.
Calum Carlyle sings honourably and openly about the end of
a relationship, in such a sweet but melancholic way it gets the tears
a-jerking. Bless him. It sounds so profound. Next he very bravely goes a capella
with a
Scottish musical poetic rant about the state of the world – “The more things
change (The more they stay the same). I
think the whole room agrees with everything he says as he reveals all the
ridiculous political pantomimes of late… well said that man.
Him be-known as The Weather Underground takes to the stage
with the frenzied strumming of “I think”. Something of Lou Reed in there
somewhere, in lyrical style and half-spoken delivery. It’s sometimes crazy and
bright, sometimes
dark underground American indie. The
Weather underground is stormy i think… “It’s a crying shame., we’ve only got
ourselves to blame”…
Then we have a guy who sure knows how to perform, and
dressed in a fine waist coat and scarf, Nick “Splinter” Smith takes to the
dimly lit stage with a sparkle in his eye and a spring in his step as he looks
out on the audience and fairly-lighted backdrop. He launched in to a couple of classic
foot-stomping Nick masterpieces . Scar Tissue (a fave of mine) and a song
“about prohibition, racism and legislation”. Heavy stuff! As well as having
one of the most character-full voices of the evening, he;s a damned fine
guitarist too.
Broken Tooth has lost his faith in love. A bad time for it, being just after the
dreaded valentine’s day. You can tell the Tooth really means it though, and his
bed of roses is no more, replaced by a load of nasty nails. I think it’s a feeling
everyone has been
through, yup, so we’re all with you man, don’t give in! It will find you! He’s
still got the voice, which never fails
to impress. The power that lies there-in
defies the look of him as a young spring chicken of a chap – he should be an
old blues-boy with that power.
A bit of a special intro for Jim “the legs” Igoe, a founding
member of the original OOTB, and no less a regular attendee at the former
Songwriters’ Showcase at the Tron. So
its good to have him back, on the stage. He treats us to a rare performance of one
of his – and the audiences who
remember – old faves, “Braveheart Beggar”. His voice is perfect for this
beautifully melodical song, where he is
someone a bit less fortunate, sitting on the street, and imagining himself in
some situation where he saves the day, gets the girl, and earns loads of
respect… “ I could be like William Wallace…”. A poignant song.
Machar Granite… or just Eddie as it is today, looks to the
future with some new songs. Thats what it’s all about, exposing new stuff. Eddie is
great at conjuring up imagery of
nature and wilderness, and this song is no exception. He exclaims he;s “Out on a
limb, i’m like a
tree in winter”. Hannah O joins in on
some gorgeous floaty high harmonies on the next song, mmmm. I am completely biased,
but i love Eddie’s
songs, and its great to hear his dulcet tones augmented in the higher ranges
with the vocal virtuoso Hannah. Yup,
great stuff.
Dave has come all teh way from Dundee, wayhay! And we’re glad he has, he treats us
to
something a bit edgier and rockier… and he;s got the total rocker look too,
which always helps. Nice gravelly vocal
style and crazy strumming, you can almost hear the crashing percussion in your
mind. He’;s got some anger there, and
its a damned fine way to get rid of it. He also possesses a very rare lovely
falsetto, which i didn’t
expect. Great stuff, come back please J
Colin Milne, well here we go, i am biased again, but i have
never seen him do a set i haven’t completely loved. He has a way with words and
music. We’re all loving it at my table
tonight. A new song has crawled out of the bedroom and down to the tron “Black
valentine”. It has been Nature’s trick
to light a fire inside dedicated to a particular special lady, apparently, and
i guess nature wasn’t so kind in the end. Bless. We love you, Colin!
Hannah O Reilly steps up for a scary first attempt at a
performance using keyboard!! Wow well
done, I’m impressed how well she keeps the nerves under control. This song
might have been called “Storyville”, and time stood still in 1915… It’a full
of imagery of days of old, and some very impressive piano accompaniment- even
if slightly hesitant at times, it totally worked. She is being quite forgetful with
words and
things tonight, even back on the old familiar guitar. It makes it all the more
loveable though. I wish i could sing
through giggles.
Nyk Stoddart is on top form tonoight and lapping up this
audience,… and they’re lapping it up back. He does one of his trademark
random medleys of his ‘hits’, with all the bits we know and love from ”fake
jazz”, the one about mutant zombies from the planet x, and the rest. All teh
classics, he;s a pretty fine
guitarist actually, which is sometimes over-looked because of his powerful vocal
character and stage antics!! Tonight he is rolling on the floor as he outros.
Its a sight to see.
Nyk’s bit…………………………………………………………………………………………………..
I seem to have landed in the mellow and reflective ending of a spectacular showcase
of local music – proving that there is much more to contemporary music than
mainstream audiences appreciate. As evidenced by the following superb acts…
Cloudland Blue Quartet
The one man band that is David Reilly plays just a guitar this time, and lays bare
how well-crafted his songs really are –
“100” he asks the audience (no, he’s not on the 10 grand question!) to pick a no.
from 99 to 100…
“Let me put my arms around you…let me carry you away” he states within the
boundaries of his tightly focused introverted-pop and it’s difficult not to be taken
away by it.
Another no. this time and its…
“3” – this appears to be about emptiness within a relationship, lost ghosts of it
lingering whilst he laments “if only i’d say goodbye”. Don’t we all feel that way
sometimes ?
It’s good to see David grace the hallowed ground that is the Tron – it’s always a
good sign when such good performers keep returning to us…
Jim Bryce
I’ve got an alligator called Alan BTW – just thought i’d mention that – well it
ain’t true, but i thought i’d go for the cheap laugh…unlike this fellow who is
genuinely witty !
His song “Waiting for the man” – which he states is about waiting for that person to
solve all your problems, whilst sonically it sounds like drone-like seashore dreams
skyline…i know that’s an oblique way of putting it but, can’t think of a better
way of describing it…except as undescrible!
“Piscatorial Song” – geniuinly surreal and funny – it seems to be a song sung by a
fish at the point of death…throw into the mix a sozzled cat, no.10s letter box
devouring fish and David Cameron – and you have a very mellow-funny song which was
much loved by the audience.
Lindsay Sugden
Fresh from playing at the Royal Concert Hall for the Prestigious “Celtic Connections”
festival it must have seemed that the audience had shrunk – but it
wasn’t long before she weaved her magic on a smaller audience…
I’ve found myself whistling the tune of the catchy chorus of “Promises” – with it’s
fantabulous descending notes for a while now, and it was good to hear it played
tonight…this song seems to be an evolution from her previous modal(?) style into a
more folky mix…”Promises fade in the moonlight…” Lindsay sings. So true!
“One Wasted Year”
Lindsay describes this as a “work in progress” – which, like most of her output, will
probably evolve the more she plays it – a sort of organic process…so expect this
number to become more focused and mesmeric over time. Her lyrics seem more direct
recently, for example, Lindsay sings “Don’t even notice things i do…always
thinking of you” – well, we’ve all been there…
Lindsay’s set pindropped the audience tonight with her astute, distinctive
and melancholic, wistful enchantment.
Stuart Mclellan
“The Winter song” has mellow folky vibes that makes use of lines such as
“Help me forget…won’t you stay awhile…sunshine on my rainy day…”. The singing
is good too – captivating the audience.
It goes to prove that even in the depths of winter…life goes on…and before too
long spring will appear…keep coming back Stuart and remind us of spring!
Gerry
I don’t think i’ve heard this chap before, so please forgive the lack of insight
into his material! – for some reason, i seemed to have picked up on his lyrics –
which in his song “week in paradise” has interesting lyrics such as “…Walks into
the room with a smile on his face…got holes in her shoes…nothing left to
love…just to see you smile”
“Dogs come running” reminds me of “All along the watchtower” for some reason – maybe
in the dark chordings he is using. Overall, this was a competent and pleasing set,
which hopefully he’ll repeat again soon!
After the “Silver bag of dreams” which i prefer to call the “Black bag of
nightmares”…we end this translusent, and ecsatic night of many talents with…
Julien Pearly
Although, he’ll probably hate me for saying this, he seems to me to be like a French
Thom Yorke (?!) – but he also proves that there is nothing more sublime than a
broken-hearted frenchman playing guitar… after remarking that being back in
Edinburgh “feels like home again” he plays “The golden lady” with lines like
“Sunrise – it is a blue…cigarette…this addiction…remember me…going through
my mind…”. Sounds to me like the soundtrack to some rainy sunday afternoon…
“My little princess” is a tender song that finishes an evocative and introspective
set – closing a most triumphant night for performers and audience.
