Out of the Bedroom 691 review – Thursday 2nd May 2019
Running order: Queer Faith and TheMany, Drew William, Jim Bryce, Roy McIntosh, Colin Whitelaw, James Igoe, feature act: Nyk Stoddart.
Roy McIntosh was host this evening and Malcolm MacLean was on sound desk.
Queer Faith and The Many: ‘So Fluffy’ – “fluffy” is a lovely word: reminiscent of childhood toys and a pleasing word to utter. The words did not always rhyme and there was no obvious chorus, showing an unconventional approach. This was a sensual, magnetic, lustrous performance. Sample lyric: “when I touch your body / it’s like I’ve never touched / I’m so happy to know that you exist”. ‘The Love Temple’ – theatrical and unique, the lyric was about expanding the boundaries of our minds and sung in a deep and resonant voice. Sample lyric: “building a love temple / between my hopes and dreams”. A very special artist.
Drew William: ‘When The Rain Sets In’ – although the words for the verse were written this afternoon, that did not come across as Drew’s approach was very professional. His guitar playing was top quality and his songwriting style was timeless, reminding me of classic Neil Diamond. Drew last played OOTB some years ago and it was a breath of fresh air to have him back. ‘Abriana, Light of the Favela’ – was written after watching a documentary about favelas in Portugal. This was mature music, well arranged and composed. An economical vocal. ‘Julia Love The Rain’ – after this third song, I felt like I was watching a pro. A soft, picked chorus, this was in the style of the best 1970s singer-songwriters. My one criticism: the songs were too short! I hope Drew comes back very soon.
Jim Bryce: ‘Joshi’s Song’ – dedicated to his local grocer shop in Gorebridge which has recently closed. A heartfelt piece with Jim’s “da-da-das” sounding good; no-one does scat / wordless singing as well as Jim. ‘Eli Kazan’ – spoken word intro to Jim’s history of folk music and the song itself contained the key elements of all traditional folk songs: vengeance, love, murder, and so forth. Humourous with muted voice trombone thrown into the mix. ‘Oh Yas’ – Jim’s take on the Brits on holiday, especially in Europe. There may have been some Brexit inferences in there! Enunciated as if a posh English schoolmaster, the lyrics are genius. His final song was about sitting opposite people on trains not knowing what to say. An imaginary love song for the age. I recommend checking out Jim’s latest album on Bandcamp – https://jimbryce.bandcamp.com/album/a-gropeof-foolish-poke-songs.
Roy McIntosh: ‘Car Boot Sale’ – debut OOTB host for the evening, Roy gave us a rendition of his own Scottish National Anthem. Raw and unpretentious, including a surreal experience with a doctor giving the snip! A fine way to take us to the break.
Colin Whitelaw: ‘The Interrogative Mood’ – based on the book of the same name, Colin’s song asks a series of relentless, probing questions. Questions included: “are you afraid of rats or mice?” and “is there such a thing as love?”. Thought-provoking stuff, for sure. Colin’s country song was up next. It was about loving country music but finding it hard to avoid the cliches. He admitted that some of the song was made up. This was his “happy song”! ‘I’ve Been Thinking’ – I love this song. It’s very sad… as Colin said, “every song is sad, it’s just the way you sing them”. I’m not sure I totally agree with that but it’s an interesting perspective. ‘Chips For Tea (Scottish Tango)’ – perhaps his most memorable song, about the perils of drinking with colleagues after work on a Friday. A touch of flamenco guitar with the lyric: “two steps forward, ten steps back / that’s how you do the Scottish tango.” ‘The Map on the Wall’ – about looking for inspiration on travelling via the map on the kitchen wall. Imagining places the existed only in his head. Peebles and Pilton were cited as more realistic destinations!
James Igoe: no one to review my songs (aw…) but I played four: ‘Work (Was Never Your God)’, ‘2016’, ‘Inga’s Eyes’ and ‘So Real’. This was in preparation for my Club Nitty Gritty gig at The Village the following evening. The first time I had played ‘Work’ and ‘2016’ (in its finished form) and thankfully the audience were kind as the two performances were not flawless. Finished with ‘Inga’s Eyes’ and ‘So Real’ in more familiar territory.
Feature act: Nyk Stoddart.‘Driftwood’ – not the Travis number… a sad, introspective and gorgeous number about the futility of life. Sample lyric: “we’re all driftwood on the beach”. ‘The Girl With The Bubble Wrap Lips’ – Nyk’s surreal take on nostalgia (“velcro hatstand” anyone?). Singing from his heart, Nyk produced the kind of chord progressions only he can imagine. Not afraid to pick or thrash his guitar… in the same song. ‘Midnight’ – at one with his acoustic, this was swoonsome and short. I’d like to hear this one again. ‘The Last Person On Earth’ – part of his musical journey. Nyk took the song on discordant tangents which were pleasing on the ear, once you took the time to immerse yourself in the music. Wordless singing into the mike; perhaps a silent scream? Quite rudely, a young lady in the audience interrupted his set, asking Nyk if he had any cigarette papers. Nyk, being the gentleman he is, gave her one of his papers. ‘Lollipop Lady’ – maybe the closest Nyk came to a straight pop song. One minute long. ‘Santa Claus’ – Nyk’s Christmas song in May, though technically the only seasonal thing about the song was the words “Santa Claus”. ‘Trust and Hope’ – this epic song was quite a musical journey in itself. This is possibly Nyk’s signature tune of recent years which “started off as a Dylan parody”. ‘Alba’ – Nyk’s song about moving to Scotland. An old camper van was mentioned. Sample lyric: “a thousand rainy days / and nowhere for shelter”. ‘Travelling Redemption’ – a made-up travel song on a similar theme to Colin’s earlier “map” song but specifically about traveling vicariously through a friend. Powerful guitar playing. ‘Aeroplanes’ – Nyk admitted “I like my prog” and it showed on this number. Although, this was not traditional prog and had a punky edge to it. ‘Some Day All These Things Will Make Sense’ – a timeless song about the battle between light and dark and, presumably, whatever that means to each individual. Also about lost love. A beautiful ballad. Nyk demonstrated this evening that he was uninhibited by ego, the need to conform to commercial requirements of the music industry or, even, the local music scene. An inspirational performance. Catch Nyk’s music online at https://mutantlodge.bandcamp.com/.
Review: James Igoe