Pop Music

Bear’s Den – Newcastle University Student Union

Live music, Music Review

On their second round of touring in the UK this year Bear’s Den have perfected a balance between arena rock and acoustic folk, packing out large clubs while performing with astonishing intimacy to an ever expanding and keenly devoted fan base.

The second-to-last night of this run finds the band, performing as a six-piece, in the rather sleek subterranean venue of Newcastle University’s Student Union. It’s not the grandest space they’ve entertained but it’s also not the shabbiest. From touring heavily in their early years, Bear’s Den have learned to work a lot of different rooms, on any given night of the year; a crowded university basement on a Sunday night is well within their command. And anyway there’s a kind of calm to November gigs that suits this music; when the nights start drawing in early, everyone switches to their heavier coats, as the air densifies with cold and skies become a little less stable. Summer isn’t long forgotten but folk are still happy to be indoors; it’s hygge season, and it’s the ideal climate for a Bear’s Den gig.

This evening’s kindling, the first of two support sets, is provided by Tusks, the spine-tingling musical endeavour of Londoner Emily Underhill. She’s on double duties tonight, opening the show and running the merch table, and yet with only 20 minutes allocated to get this one job done she doesn’t force a performance, easing herself and the audience gently into her mesmeric melodies. Underhill sings graciously through her register, at times slipping into a soft falsetto, but she is at her most affecting when she employs her high, full voice, as on the stunning title track to her latest LP Avalanche. Quieter moments like Demon (“…it’s actually a love song”) test the warmth of the early crowd and, gratefully, they seem to be thawing.

At 8pm the crowd has almost trebled, with a restless rabble engulfing the room as Flyte take to the stage. Although technically now a trio, since the departure of keyboardist/guitarist/vocalist Sam Berridge earlier this year, Flyte have maintained their full-bodied soundscape and delighted audiences throughout the summer with the addition of Jessica Staveley-Taylor (aka “Jess from The Staves” aka “one-third of The Staves”) into their line-up. Opening with a couple of songs from their debut album The Loved Ones, the set is kind of a slow burn up to White Roses, after which the crowd is a lot more settled and receptive. It’s just as well because the band follow this up with their breath-taking a capella cover of Alvvays’ Archie, Marry Me which, if you haven’t heard it, is about the kindest bit of self care you can offer your ears, at any time of year. Go; look it up now and feel the nourishment! They finish off with two crackers in Cathy Come Home and the glowing album opener Faithless.

The stage is dark before Bear’s Den emerge; a disorienting red aura fills the air as the unusually dramatic but iconic opening of Thus Spake Zarathustra heralds the main event. There’s no denying that this particular piece of music will heighten the anticipation of anyone’s arrival but Bear’s Den are not the showiest of bands, so it’s only fitting that they don’t actually walk on until the theme has played out in full; the gag is funnier when they don’t take it to that obvious, excessive conclusion. Humour is one of the band’s many charms.

Leading off with Fuel On The Fire, Elysium and Dew On The Vine, the set has a fairly similar running order to previous shows on the So that you might hear me tour, with the inclusion of two brand new tracks from the band’s forthcoming Only Son of the Falling Snow EP. The first of these is the title track which lead singer Andrew Davie describes as “a kind of Christmas carol, reflecting back over your life”. True to form, it’s a sorrowful meditation backed by some incongruous major chords and uplifting trumpet. It’s glorious. This is followed up with the – possibly even more exquisite – piano-lead ballad The Star of Bethnal Green, which takes its name from a pub adjacent the studio where Kev Jones conceived it. The lyrics paint love as a spiritual experience, at once inspiring, hopeful and comforting. Even in its relatively bare form it feels brighter than most songs in the Bear’s Den catalogue. And as festive folk songs go it’s no less than butterfly-inducing! It’d be show-stopping but Bear’s Den control their own inertia and it’s from here straight into Crow, a bona fide tear-jerker that depicts grief in a way that is uniquely Bear’s Den.

Davie has a knack for relating extraordinary human emotions through deeply personal experiences; his inclusion of very specific details, dates, names, locations, renders a stronger and more immediate connection to the particular events or relationships he’s recounting, as in Hiding Bottles and Above The Clouds of Pompeii, but his broader language leaves scenes open for listeners’ own attachments. This manner of lyricism, this telling-all-without-telling-everything style of writing is one of the reasons fans become so endeared to the band; seeing themselves and their lives in the songs, feeling connected in their shared humanity. At its very least live music is a communal experience.

The unpretentious, candid honesty of their delivery further sets the band apart, such as when they go “off-mic” to hear the crowd singing along to Magdelene. When they unplug completely to perform Don’t Let The Sun Steal You Away unamplified from the edge of the stage it receives one of the loudest rounds of applause all night, igniting the band and setting them on a skyward trajectory. These moments are unique to each crowd no matter how many times the band plays the same set of songs.

The Love That We Stole sounds bigger and bolder than it ever has. The guitars grow louder across Red Earth & Pouring Rain as heavy red light flickers. After the threatening and thunderous build on When You Break, driving and anthemic Auld Wives feels like respite. So much for the calm! The “last song” and “encore” are exposed as conventions but when the band return after a brief period of rousing applause they offer the sincerest and humblest thanks. And when they step out into the centre of the audience to perform Blankets of Sorrow they bring the communal experience to another level of intimacy. It’s a cosy place to be on a Sunday night in November.

Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival 2019

Festivals, Live music, Music Review

Driving south on the A9 through heavy rain and roadworks, the euphoric sunshine of the past 3 days seems almost otherworldly. Through the misty grey comes a flood of memories; of music, dancing, food; friends, family and strangers – aliens – and did I see a polar bear? Only at Belladrum!!

In its 16th incarnation the Highlands’ biggest music event remains one of a kind, not just for the region but within the global festival community. Boasting an extensive yet eclectic line-up of domestic and international talent, Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival is renowned for being a festival for all ages and musical interests. Nearly every genre is represented across its programme and the festival site itself accommodates multi-generational entertainment through everything from puppet-making and zorbing, to extreme sports, slam poetry, yoga, stand-up comedy, even burlesque workshops. And all that is without mentioning any of the chart-toppers on the bill. Anyone who thinks there isn’t much going on north of the central belt needs to get out more!

It’s not possible to single-handedly give a fully comprehensive rundown of the magic that played out over the course of this year’s Belladrum so here instead is simply 10 of the best bits.

1. The Sunshine

If you’ve been to a muddy festival before then you can already appreciate what a difference a little sun can make. The absence of rain throughout the duration of Bella meant not only that the ground was pretty stable to get around on, but it was also blissfully comfortable above 19°C for most of the day. Perfect conditions for hanging out with friends and family, having a picnic or a wee gin cocktail (because when there’s a dedicated Gin Palace how could you not?) and listening to great music in the warm evening air. It’s not always like this, as the veterans hasten to point out, so top mention has to go to mother nature: she nailed it this weekend.

2. The Sci-Fi Theme

Each year Belladrum gives itself over to a specific theme, designing areas of the site to reflect a certain aesthetic or attitude and inspiring patrons to expand their knowledge base in a particular direction. The theme for 2019 being Science Fiction, fancy dress took in all sorts of creative endeavours with Trekkies and Wookies, and even more abstract creatures popping up around the site. I spied Marty and Doc heading into the Venus Flytrap Palais while I was queuing for risotto. In addition but on the flipside of that was the Bella Boffinarium, set up to showcase “Science Fact” with presentations on astronomy, technology, rewilding and modern environmentalism. There was even an interactive aviation drama roaming around. Belladrum is special for a lot of different reasons and its dedication to presenting a theme that is engaging on so many levels is definitely one of the things that sets it apart.

But then, some music.

3.  Fat Suit

This funk fusion ensemble brought the sunshine inside the Hothouse on Thursday afternoon with radiant sax and trumpet, glittering guitar and soulful keyboards. From the moment they walked on stage the crowd was down to boogie and the band delivered just the right grooves to keep them moving. If yoga wasn’t your thing, Fat Suit could do plenty to loosen you up.

4. Wildwood Kin

What more can genetically perfected harmonies bring to the British Americana scene that we haven’t seen before? Perhaps not a lot, even with gifted multi-instrumentalists Wildwood Kin. But there’s absolutely nothing more enjoyable than hearing brilliant songs performed well. With the audience hanging on their every gorgeous note you couldn’t help swooning for the Devon trio. Latest singles “Never Alone” and “Beauty In Your Brokenness” were both shimmering and powerful.

Wildwood Kin

5. Man of Moon

Still yet to release their debut LP, the Edinburgh two-piece are evolving from a mildly psychedelic grunge act into some glorious electro-rock outfit with heavy shoegaze undertones. Drawing comparisons to Depeche Mode and The Twilight Sad doesn’t quite do justice to what they deliver in the live setting. The dynamic between singer/guitarist Chris Bainbridge and drummer Michael Reid is in constant flux and, without being unsettling, songs like “I Run” and “Skin” play out with exciting twists and turns. Consistently one of the best live bands of the last few years, they proved their sound is ready for the big stages.

6. Boy Division

Being moved from the Bella Bar Stage to the Seedlings Stage made this performance feel even more intimate and special for Divisionists (every great pop act has to have a name for their fan collective, right?) and the upgrade seemed to benefit Chris, Noah and Kieran as well, as they delivered note-perfect harmonies with seamless choreography throughout their brief but breathtaking performance. Pop music is streaming forward with unparalleled levels of self-awareness and these guys are already cresting the wave.

Boy Division

7. Ferris and Sylvester

Like every great song that finishes too soon, Ferris and Sylvester’s Grassroots stage set left their audience wanting. From the high energy blues-folk of “Burning River” to the aching sweetness of “Flying Visits” with one microphone between them, they commanded attention in the kindest possible way.

Ferris and Sylvester

8. Glasvegas

Given the honour of headlining the Hothouse Stage up against fellow Glaswegians Chvrches, Glasvegas were the perfect antithesis of their Garden Stage peers. Mere silhouettes against a wash of red and white lights, they allowed their songs to swell and cascade out over the enormous crowd that couldn’t be contained by the walls of the sweaty tent. Spontaneous singalongs erupted frequently and singer James Allen noted that the audience participation on acoustic track “Whitey” would go down as his highlight of the festival. It was spirited and emotional from start to end, and heartening to see the band still at the top of their live game.

9. Self Esteem

Probably the most impressive and enjoyable performance of the whole weekend, Rebecca Taylor as Self Esteem is everything pop music should be in 2019; witty, honest, fun. With her band dressed all in red and working through some sultry tongue-in-cheek dance routines, while singing poignant and catchy songs about sexuality, relationships and identity, she is the musical role model you wish mass media was championing instead of the next vapid internet fad. Emphasis on the fun.

Self Esteem

10. Lewis Capaldi’s Reception

With a genuine talent and charm like Capaldi’s there’s not much point discussing his performance. It was great, as expected. The atmosphere when he came onstage however, that was something else. It’s hard to say accurately how many of Belladrum’s 20,000 capacity crowd was actually in front of the Garden Stage at 8pm on Saturday night but it was a majority. Like a big majority. An unprecedented volume by all accounts. And the atmosphere was incomparable. I’ve been to plenty of festivals and stadium shows and I’ve heard some screams. Capaldi’s arrival was met with the kind of noise that makes you think defenders over your earplugs would have been a good shout. Tinnitus on command. It was equally the most terrifying and exciting moment I’ve experienced in the photo pit; I wouldn’t like to do it again but I’d recommend it to anyone. And what’s more it was sustained. It was as if the crowd had been sparing themselves all weekend waiting for this one set. Even if you didn’t like the guy’s music you couldn’t help but stand in awe of what he brought to the event.

Lewis Capaldi

All that said, there were a few weak spots; the overcrowding around the Garden Stage for Lewis Capaldi created tension as security had to restrict access while some folk tried to reserve spaces with hazardous camping chairs or blankets. Arguments on the periphery and discomfort in the middle felt very much like a catastrophe waiting to happen. At the same time Peat & Diesel were letting rip in the Hothouse and that too required added crowd-control measures that felt about as dangerous as the crowd crush itself with punters corralled inside the tent.

The impact of crowding was further demonstrated in traffic queues entering and, especially, leaving the site with some patrons reporting waits of 3 to 5 hours to vacate the carpark. A good service of shuttle buses from Inverness city centre helped to manage the flow of day visitors but delays could be further alleviated with the addition of a park and ride nearby to reduce the volume of cars accessing the property directly down the tiny roads. Density on site meant mobile functionality was reduced. It wasn’t the lack of Snapchat and Instagram so much that was frustrating, but trying to find friends or family to coordinate meals, transport and basic welfare was a bit of a nightmare. For the most part these were minor gripes and the overall feedback around the festival grounds was naturally very positive again this year.

The one major blight on Belladrum is still the masses of rubbish it generates in an otherwise pristine community. The use of disposables at a festival of this scale is unnecessary and does nothing to encourage respectful or resourceful behaviour. It’s 2019; dropping plastic cups anywhere is unacceptable.

Hopefully these are matters the new owners will look to address moving forward with the festival, to maintain the safety and sustainability of their wonderfully warm, family-friendly event. For now, with the many musical blessings of this year playing over in our minds, as the rain sets in to soothe and cleanse the grounds the countdown to Belladrum 2020 can begin.

Sheryl Crow – Glasgow Royal Concert Hall

Live music, Music Review

Having recently opened shows for the likes of legendary artists Phil Collins and the Eagles, Sheryl Crow is grateful to be back in front of her own audience for a while. With the promise of a two-hour set featuring “a bunch of old things and…some new things too” regulars know to expect a great night. For first-timers the setlist, front heavy with mega hits like “If It Makes You Happy” and “All I Wanna Do”, is a shock to the system and an assertive reminder of why Crow, now in her late 50s, has maintained a position as one of the most revered and sought-after songwriters and female vocalists for over 2 decades.

Her energy and enthusiasm is relentless and it’s clear Crow still enjoys playing the older songs. The crowd reacts with lively call and response singalongs and dancing in the aisles. Crow acknowledges, engaging audience participation, for at least as much as she can understand of the Glasgow accent and vernacular. She shies away from recent albums for the most part but introduces a few tracks from her forthcoming release Threads, due at the end of August. The first of these is “Prove You Wrong”, a collaboration with country star Maren Morris and rock veteran Stevie Nicks. It has an instant classic rock feel that tends a little formulaic towards the end but is no less enjoyable in the context of modern rock radio playlists. Another new single, “Live Wire”, comes under the blues influence of its contributors Bonnie Raitt and Mavis Staples, and is introduced with a cracking anecdote from the recording session with Staples. As one of the slower songs in the set – and it’s by no means a ballad – “Live Wire” is evidence that Crow still has the skill to craft a meaningful and catchy song without sounding like a rehash of former glories or a nostalgic tribute to the successes of youth.

Despite adhering mostly to the acoustic guitar throughout, Crow’s knack for creating rock anthems is indisputable and well supported by her six-piece band that includes two lead guitarists of equal genius in Audley Freed and Peter Stroud; the latter garnering extra attention from the singer for his “snazzy jacket” in addition to his expertise with the six-string. The sound is further embellished with Joshua Grange on pedal steel, Jen Gunderman on piano and Robert Kearns providing bass and particularly stand out vocals as a substitute for Joe Walsh on new duet “Still The Good Old Days”, a song that Crow admits is “about being my age”. Yet the clarity and ease of her voice on the opening of “The Difficult Kind” shows an ageless strength and beauty; her voice is as good as it’s ever been. Sadly, there are times when the full force of the band is too much and Crow’s still-powerful vocal is overwhelmed, mainly by the treble of her own guitar. It’s disappointing to experience this in a room like the Concert Hall which usually delivers perfectly balanced levels, for any genre or musical style. Nevertheless the crowd is on her side and she receives a standing ovation before she’s even finished the set. Admittedly, the performance of “Best Of Times” is well deserving; Crow takes her microphone from its stand and commands the stage from end to end with multiple charged harmonica solos, set against intense strobing as the band gathers around the drum kit to pool and play off  their collective energies.

The final song of the set, “Steve McQueen”, features Crow playing a glittery red, white and blue electric guitar while her two sons – acting as occasional guitar techs throughout the night – join in on maracas from behind the keyboards. When she returns for an encore she mentions that they spent their day over at the Glasgow Science Centre and had a great time taking in the city. She dedicates “Soak Up The Sun” to her Glasgow audience in honour of the beautiful weather, before closing out with a grand rendition of “Real Gone”. The crowd need no further persuasion and remain on their feet for the duration. Warmly received at the top of the show is Hebridean singer-songwriter Colin MacLeod, himself no stranger to opening some pretty big stages, having supported the likes of Van Morrison, Robert Plant and Roger Waters in the last twelve months alone. He played a brief but beautiful solo set of melancholic-sounding songs, drawn mainly from his 2018 debut Bloodlines, with two new songs performed on acoustic guitar sandwiched into the middle of his set. MacLeod shows himself to be a versatile performer; an accomplished guitarist as well as a gifted storyteller and songwriter, with a voice as warm and mellow as a 21 year old single malt.

Travis; The Man Who 19th Anniversary – SSE Hydro

Live music, Music Review

You don’t need an excuse to listen to Travis’ 1999 sophomore album The Man Who; it’s a beautiful, timeless record loaded with endearing melodies, vibrant acoustic guitars and po-faced love songs. It’s the sort of album you listen to because you still like it, because you can’t remember a time when you didn’t like it, and probably because you can remember a time in your life when it didn’t exist and that time wasn’t as good. It’s polarising in that sense; life before and life after The Man Who. Music before, and music after. If you’ve welcomed this album into your life then you know what I’m talking about. Released in the wake of Britpop when pastiche was less of a trend, The Man Who marked a turning point, or at least a dividing line, in pop music. Without any knowing guidance, and despite being sonically informed by Oasis at the time, Travis came to define the sensitive sound of the four-piece male rock band at the turn of the century. Their iconic songs, loved or loathed, dominated radio the world over and lead the way for so many bands to follow from Coldplay through Snow Patrol and up to Mumford & Sons.

In light of this then, Travis themselves need no excuse to celebrate and tour the album that launched them into the pop-rock stratosphere so many years ago. 19 years ago, in fact. 19 is not a significant anniversary but The Man Who is a great album so why not? Fans want to hear it, the band want to play it. The music economy doesn’t get simpler than that these days. A run of shows earlier in the summer took in numerous venues across England, as well as some festival slots, so the final two-weeks of 2018 bring them around again and home to Glasgow’s SSE Hydro just in time for Christmas, and 2 years to the day since they last played here on the Everything At Once Tour.

Isle of Lewis singer songwriter Colin Macleod released one of the year’s best albums in Bloodlines and as the first of two supports for the night he delivers stripped back renditions of five songs from the record, as well as a melancholy interpretation of Ring of Fire. Beautifully understated and delicate from beginning to end, his set feels naturally calm amid the excitement and anticipation of the evening. He concedes his own disbelief at opening the show, admitting that Writing To Reach You was the first song he ever played. Right now though his own songcraft is fully matured and his confidence on stage serves him well, alone in the spotlight.

The second support are relative “old favourites” of Travis’ audience, and certainly owe a debt to the acoustic rock path paved by The Man Who. That said Turin Brakes have never stood in the shadows and since touring with Travis in 2001 they have remained friends and contemporaries, not rivals. Their divergent musical roads couldn’t be better exemplified than in tonight’s performance. A 10-song set draws from across their catalogue, never focussing heavily on one period and certainly not trading on nostalgia, but rather offering a cohesive sonic representation of where the band are now. And it’s a great sound. They’ve always been known to indulge their rock tendencies in the live setting and tonight is no exception. They’re clearly having a lot of fun; whether it’s because they’re out to impress as a support act, or because they don’t have the pressure of headlining, it doesn’t seem to matter, their performance is top shelf. Older hits like Painkiller and Underdog are reworked with fresh intros and some mint distortion on the acoustic guitars. If anyone walked in during Black Rabbit expecting a Travis concert they’d be very surprised by the rambling proggy jam happening on stage. It keeps on the sunny side of excess though and the band are sent off with just the appropriate level of enthusiasm ahead of the main act.

I want to be objective about what happened next but there’s an obvious reason I bought a ticket for this show. Here instead are some facts about the gig:

Between support sets Fran Healy came out to the barrier and met fans, shook hands, posed for photos, signed things, chatted to people.

On stage Fran wore a kilt and a “Zion Lutheran Cougars” t-shirt identical to the one he wore in the video for Why Does It Always Rain On Me?

Andy Dunlop got very sweaty, very quickly.

Dougie Payne smiled a lot.

The band played The Man Who from start to finish, including its hidden track Blue Flashing Light, and then left the stage.

The second half of the set comprised a “best of” selection of singles and closed with a Christmas medley, accompanied by a couple of brawling jakey Santas.

But what was it like? Well honestly, it was pretty special. The nature of a start to end album show is that inevitably a band has to play their hits as they lie, i.e. Driftwood, Turn and Why Does It Always Rain On Me? went out in the first half. It’s unorthodox to play your biggest single in the first hour of your show and it felt a bit strange to be pogo-ing  so early in the night but the other side of this is that the band get to play some songs that otherwise wouldn’t make it onto the usual setlist. I haven’t heard Last Laugh of the Laughter in years and the harmonies were sweeter than I can ever remember. It was perhaps the only song that sounded different from the album version, and only because of the strength of the backing vocals, the rest was very true to the original sound. Another take on this format is that some of the band’s more challenging songs also have to come out. Much as they might be endeared to the hardcore fandom moments like Luv and She’s So Strange were reminders of why The Man Who was critically derided as a collection of “sad” “ballads”, the latter in particular proving a bit of a stretch for Fran’s vocal chords. But there were fond memories and pleasing anecdotes to go along with these old songs and the band have never lost their wondrous humour which always keeps their live shows so engaging and entertaining.

The second half of the set highlighted a few other things about The Man Who. Firstly, that the significance of the album to fans cannot be understated; once upon a time these were some of the only Travis songs in existence and they were adored mightily and whole-heartedly which, in the context of the live show, means the album falls so naturally and familiarly on the ears that it sounds like a “best of” in itself, even up against the established singles like Side and Closer. Every song is so well received. Secondly, that Travis’ true nature has always been as a rock band. From the opening chord of Blue Flashing Light the atmosphere in the arena is completely changed, electrified, amplified. The Man Who happens to be a cohesive collection of quiet songs and there are many others in the catalogue (see The Invisible Band) but when given a platform, or an entire half a set, the band choose to play loud, choose to rock out, choose guitar solos, choose to traverse the stage, choose to jump off the drum kit. The Man Who is another side to that band but it was never the limit of their abilities or interests. Lastly, that Travis are a band from Glasgow and were they not, they would never have written as iconic a song as Why Does It Always Rain On Me? because where else in the world could they have found inspiration in the best audience of voices to belt out such an anthem?

Shakey Graves – SWG3 TV Studio

Live music, Music Review

It’s been more than a minute since Shakey Graves played to an audience in Glasgow. The artist from Austin, Texas was scheduled to appear at The Art School back in March of this year but the so-called “Beast From The East” snowstorm brought an early end to his tour and Scottish fans were left bereft for the time being as the show was cancelled, rather than postponed. Gratefully, another tour was announced for the Autumn but in the wake of the Glasgow School of Art Mackintosh Building fire an alternative venue was chosen and ultimately the gig took place in SWG3’s TV Studio – the very same room Shakey Graves last played in Glasgow over two and a half years ago.

Shakey Graves is the nom de plume of Alejandro Rose-Garcia, whose reputation precedes him through a kind of cultish following. He’s far from the mainstream as far as UK music press is concerned, yet he can find a devoted audience on just about every continent. This latest tour is in support of his new record Can’t Wake Up, released in May on Dualtone and, as anyone familiar this artist will attest, it’s a vastly different sound he’s touting these days.  Gone are the crunchy blues guitar riffs, raw-worn vocals and erratic one-man-band percussion. In their place is an overall more polished, controlled production; the lilting melodies and jaunty accompaniment have a kind of soft-focus and even Rose-Garcia’s voice is pastel-toned. Lyrically the songs are as mythical and mystical as anything in the alt-folk /Americana / country blues / southern rock canon, but with an added dreaminess that elevates them from being intensely personal to universally quizzical.

How then to marry these diverse sonic themes into a cohesive live set? Well, if anyone can do it and do it convincingly, it’s Shakey Graves. A stunning support set from Pennsylvanian artist Petal precedes the main event and is tragically disregarded by sections of the audience. Not even her exquisite cover of Fleetwood Mac’s Silver Springs could grasp the attention of many but it’s nothing personal; for reasons beyond comprehension the crowd are as distractedly chatty throughout the entire show.

Arriving solo to the stage Rose-Garcia begins in familiar territory that sees the most vocal of his audience joining in. Armed with just an electric guitar and his suitcase kick drum and tambourine combo Roll The Bones glistens. The Perfect Parts swings into a pretty rendition of Pansy Waltz before he is joined by the other three members of his band. Christopher Boosahda on drums, Jon Shaw on bass and Patrick O’Connor on guitar complete the Shakey Graves touring line-up as well as being the core performers on the latest album. Immediately the more sophisticated beat behind Big Bad Wolf introduces the next chapter of the show gently. The mesmeric chirp of guitar on Mansion Door distracts from the darkness in its lyrics while the airy shuffling blues of Dining Alone lays its misery bare. The mood is never quite sullen and Rose-Garcia’s expression always tells more than each tale reveals.

Unknown Legend is the point where it really comes together, where the band and crowd are fully invested and committed to the groove; guitars are playing off one another, smiles are being exchanged and Rose-Garcia is especially talkative and comfortable in his banter. Excuses capitalises on this sweet moment with particularly dynamic playing – loud drums against soft vocals – matching the urgency of the lyrics “I can’t wait for summer, I can’t wait for spring / I can’t wait for someone who can’t wait for me”. It’s a natural climax at this point of the night and is followed up with yet another change of pace. Adequately sweaty for now, the band takes their leave to allow for a set of rootsier acoustic songs; Tomorrow, Family Tree and City In A Bottle prove to be definite crowd-pleasers with phones hoisted to film throughout, while the poignant Word of Mouth closes out the set in hushed awe. It’s a lengthy moral that ebbs and flows, drawing the crowd in until they’re hanging on every word. Shakey Graves is the complete entertainer at this point; he sticks his plectrum to his sweaty forehead for a time and dances on the spot. The crowd goes nuts. As the band returns and is officially introduced there’s a sense that the night is still just warming up but quickly then the realisation that we are, in fact, nearing the end settles and the crowd becomes restless and shouty once more.

A boisterous and out of tune singalong ensues on Dearly Departed which, from the band, seems to lack effort in the face of such an energetic reception. Rose-Garcia acknowledges the strict curfew saying “I’m not even going to fake going off” as he ventures one final morbid tale; Late July. The ending hits hard and he blows a kiss from the stage before waving farewell to his adoring fans. With such an extensive back catalogue to choose from, sixteen songs is never going to feel like enough for the cult of Shakey, but they take what they can get and show their fervent appreciation. It’s not so hard to settle for quality over quantity and there’s no disputing; this was a quality performance.

Kacey Musgraves – Clyde Auditorium

Live music, Music Review

“Born in a hurry, always late / Haven’t been early since ’88.” Could a truer opening line have been delivered? 20 minutes after she was due on stage the silhouette of Kacey Musgraves emerged behind a glow of goldenous light. With her band already positioned, distinctly indistinctive in their matching pastel suits, she set her pace with Slow Burn, the first song on her latest album Golden Hour.

The new record is mellow and even by pop-country standards and so it follows that its live incarnation, the “Oh, What A World Tour”, should be equally refined and engaging. It’s another 2 such gentle songs, Wonder Woman and Butterflies, before Musgraves visits any older material and when she does it sounds refreshed and renewed to her current mood. Keep It To Yourself leads in with a Springsteen-esque guitar tone before the pedal steel takes control and steers it into blatant country territory. More bitter than sweet, Merry Go ‘Round elicits the first big singalong of the evening and it’s hard to feel the isolated heartbreak of the song in a room full of voices. High Time is another crowd favourite and sees Musgraves stepping out of glam-mode, relinquishing her powder blue stilettos in favour of bare feet, then later some fluffy blue slides. It’s Casual Kacey time, despite the sequinned trousers and rhinestone-laden denim jacket.

On any scale a Kacey Musgraves show is certain things; honest, personal, fun. You can sense this from the flow of the songs and the onstage banter. While the music is perfectly polished, as it needs to be with a six-piece band behind her, Kacey is not above engaging with her audience in a way that makes her special among Nashville’s starlets. She feels her way between the songs as if the stage is smaller, the crowd is closer. It’s an intimacy that’s hard to pin down but it’s very real. She created the same atmosphere nearly 8 months back when she headlined the final night of C2C – Country To Country just across the way at the much larger SSE Hydro. Unlike then however, tonight she only has to play for her audience, rather than swaying a festival crowd, and she does so with much credit to her band. After taking time to introduce everyone on stage, and thanking all her crew behind the scenes, she brings the band together out front for a light-hearted rendition of Family Is Family.

Velvet Elvis sees sections of the stalls up dancing which Musgraves encourages, “This is a better party like this”.  It’s a gentle momentum to maintain with songs like Happy & Sad and the sweetly melancholic Space Cowboy but the crowd carries it on, finally arriving at the upbeat empowerment anthem Follow Your Arrow. Leaving the crowd in a jubilant state, Musgraves and band make a swift exit and remain obscured for several minutes before returning to frenzied applause.

It’s a mixed bag encore opening with the achingly delicate Rainbow before detouring into a humorous but ultimately unnecessary cover of NSYNC’s Tearin’ Up My Heart. The only redeeming aspect of the cover is that it features the support act, the very talented indie singer-songwriter Sophie Allison, aka Soccer Mommy, in a choreographed dance routine. Nevertheless, the mood is lightened sufficiently to close the night out with brilliant rainbow strip lights and a dazzling mirror ball as High Horse wraps the night in its fuzzy disco charms. In the last twinkling light before the stage fades to black Kacey Musgraves waves a sincere farewell to her adoring audience and they respond with mutual gratitude; each wants to thank the other and no-one wants to say goodbye. It’s the way every show should end.

Lord Huron – The Sage

Live music, Music Review

“We’ve always been a ghost-friendly band” quips Ben Schneider. “It’s good to see they’re out tonight especially in the upper levels. They’re going fucking nuts up there by the way” he jokes while he demonstrates an exaggerated style of dad-dancing. It might be a surprise to UK fans of Lord Huron to find the band booked into such an extravagant venue as Sage One in the beautiful Gateshead complex but by the end of their spirited performance there could be no doubting, this is a band who belong on the big stages.

Other venues on this leg of the Vide Noir tour have been as varied as any the band has ever played; from a night at London’s famous Roundhouse to the obscure Sheffield nightclub, Plug the night before their appearance in the north-east. Schneider points out that they’ve never played on this side of the river before and it seems by the crowd’s response that they’ve also travelled from outside the local area. This is the second round of touring in the UK for Lord Huron this year and they’ve made certain to cover new territory once again, bypassing Manchester in favour of Liverpool, and leaving out Scotland, Ireland and Wales altogether. It’s perhaps unsurprising then to find rows of empty seats in such a grand concert hall, for a band who typically fly under the mainstream radar, however this void in no way diminishes the band’s performance. The energy radiating from the stage throughout their set is just enough to reach the souls at the very back of the hall without black-braining them in a cacophony of distorted guitars, storming bass, luscious harmonies, turbulent percussion and eerie theramin. All these sounds exist within the space but never is one found wandering aimlessly.

The set is heavy on tracks from the latest release, “Vide Noir”, which sees the band experimenting a bit more with the dark side of studio magic. There are times, before the band first emerges on stage and at occasional intervals throughout, where a mysterious voice urges listeners to “follow the emerald star” while a jazzy lounge tune grooves in the background. These mellow moments are offset by Schneider’s resonant vocals and Miguel Briseño’s pulsing bass. Opening with the buoyant but chorus-less teaser Never Ever, the band lay their intentions bare: We came to rock! The feeling is mutual, at least on the floor where punters are bouncing around, fists pounding the stratosphere in attempts to reach a heightened state of elation.

The World Ender is a dark and brooding tale that brings everyone crashing back to barren earth, unsure how they arrived and curious to see what fates await. Meet Me in the Woods continues their journey into the unknown before emerging through the black magic of Secret of Life and the character study of a chance meeting with an undead World Ender in Dead Man’s Hand. Schneider’s hair refuses to be contained beneath his fetching fedora and the hat meets the ground at regular intervals as the band lift off on more raucous songs like Back From The Edge and Ancient Names, Pts. 1 & 2. There are also times when Schneider removes his headwear for romantic effect as on the crooners Wait By The River and When The Night Is Over. There’s a sonic theme to these songs on the record that is well spaced in the live set, always keeping the crowd in anticipation of their next wayward turn.

The echo of an owl, a distant thunderstorm and crackling campfire lead into a string of crowd favourites from the band’s debut LP, 2012’s “Lonesome Dreams”. Ends of the Earth, Ghost on the Shore and She Lit A Fire instantly transport devoted listeners back the band’s earlier explorations while providing an atmospheric shift in the tone of the evening. It’s subtle but cleverly crafted. Moonbeam and Hurricane stir up the crowd with additional guitarist Brandon Walters and keyboardist Misty Boyce having their own dance-off either side of drummer Mark Barry. It’s a fun set and the audience can’t help but catch the vibe too.

Between the pulsating green lights that silhouette the band on the Ancient Names twin-set there’s a romantic interlude from “Strange Trails” in the form of La Belle Fleur Sauvage and Fool For Love which sees Schneider throwing flowers into the audience before accepting certain death in a bar fight over the object of his affection. It’s the kind of dramatic contrast fans have come to expect from the last two albums and it’s well received by the audience, by now hustling to keep up with the twists and turns of the night. Way Out There takes them gently by the heart and leads them through the dark spectral landscape. The set winds into its natural close with Time to Run. The energetic acoustic anthem is embellished with flourishes of Tom Renaud’s gloriously crystalline guitar, playing out the main set before another haunting voiceover recites a poem composed explicitly for the Vide Noir shows featuring, among its lines, every song title from the album. It’s weird but it fills the void left by the band’s departure.

There’s no need for an awkward, forced encore – not that the crowd weren’t demanding one anyway – and when the band re-emerge from the darkened recesses at the edge of the stage they bring yet a new energy with immortal hit The Night We Met. The song has been popularised by its use in various TV drama series but the core fans knew it as the bittersweet album closer to “Strange Trails” over 3 years ago. On this occasion there’s a hopeful sense that Lord Huron will return to UK theatres of this scale in the not too distant future, to wow new audiences with their unique stories, curious characters and vivid soundscapes. Nothing could exemplify this more than the jubilant finale, The Stranger. Delighting their audience with arguably their most successful single and following it up with one of their least known tracks is the kind of stunt a band like Lord Huron can pull off in any setting, such is their devoted listenership and the inspiring diversity of their catalogue.

Rumours of another turn through Europe next year have left fans hanging on the edge of the known realm, aching to see what mysterious encounters lay beyond.

Villagers – The Garage

Live music, Music Review

On Villagers’ most recent album The Art of Pretending to Swim Conor O’Brien has got his groove back, and then some. The nifty studio magic that gained his band a raft of followers through their first two releases has been distilled by a master craftsman, O’Brien himself, and blended with the raw potency of 2015’s Ivor Novello-winning Darling Arithmetic. The result is a heady concoction; harmonically vibrant and playful with subtly textured rhythms, and laced with O’Brien’s always intriguing lyricism. It tempers listeners with bold satire and heartfelt musings on where we place our faith – in love, humanity, religion, ourselves – all served over luscious layers of acoustic guitar, piano, strings, brass and occasionally low-key EDM.

Bringing an album of this sonic complexity into a live setting presents those same old challenges from the earlier recordings but O’Brien has assembled a fine musical collective to support his endeavour, most of whom toured Darling Arithmetic and later crafted the live recording Where Have You Been All My Life. He also has a breathtaking opener for this run of shows in Billie Marten, whose heart-on-sleeve songwriting and bare-bones delivery softens and diffuses any pre-gig tension, melting anxiety whilst gently building anticipation for the main event. A kind of Julia Jacklin wit by way of Lucy Rose delivery. Poignant and ethereal. Also she brought cake – lemon drizzle – as a sort of apology for having not brought any merchandise “because I’m a terrible person”. She is not terrible; nor is her cake, nor her performance. All are quantifiably sweet.

Villagers’ arrival on stage is met with an almost stupefied enthusiasm, as if the crowd are unable to fully grasp their own excitement. It’s been over two and half years since the band last played in Scotland. A heightened sense of expectation is inevitable. Breaking through that energy, the band lay down four new songs to open the show; Sweet Saviour and Again wind the new sounds out slowly, growing through O’Brien’s impeccable finger-picking before blossoming with pulsing piano and swirling synth. The jovial, swinging melody of Fool defies its bleak message and sees the audience bopping along unassumingly, while the Moby-esque Love Came With All That It Brings recounts a tragic tale over a hip-hop backing track, held aloft by flugelhorn and cornet. It also features the gentlest delivery of “motherf**ker” you could ever imagine as O’Brien’s lips conjure all the venom that melody will allow (consider Beck’s Asshole but more tender).

A concerted look between O’Brien and pianist Mali Llywelyn cues the flourish that begins I Saw The Dead and rouses the crowd further – they could hardly be more excited about hearing an old favourite. Another four songs from the new album follow; Hold Me Down, more or less the only quiet moment of the set, draws breath and displays a calmness within the band. There’s joy and playfulness apparent in their performance, but also control, restraint, focus. The weight of expression in O’Brien’s voice is offset by the intuitive spontaneity of the musicians around him. This only becomes more enlightened as the set continues; the R&B-infused lead single A Trick of the Light matches O’Brien’s distinctive annunciation with Danny Snow’s emphatically funky bass line.

“This is a groovy number; your hips better be shaking. It’s about procrastination.” O’Brien introduces one of his most soulful compositions to date, Long Time Waiting. He’s not lying, it definitely has a feel-good vibe, uplifting yet meditative, and catchy as all get-out. The song builds gradually with an irrepressible, boisterous vitality, flowing naturally into the thumping Real Go-Getter. Marcus Hamblett’s jubilant smirk throughout is indicative of the fun had in crafting these songs, as much as in delivering them with sonic precision. His role at this particular moment comprises two critical sounds that shape the whole tone of the song and he’s taking it very seriously…whilst smiling.

The back end of the set sees a few “hits” pulled from the catalogue; the iconic Becoming A Jackal is still one of the most interesting pop songs to emerge in the last decade and here it assumes a jazzier identity thanks to Gwion Llewelyn’s creative drumming that leads instinctively into the moody, stirring Memoir. Perhaps it moves a little too swiftly as O’Brien loses his words after the first verse and calls the band to stop. Running lyrics between the audience and the band over the longest 20 seconds he resumes, then forgets again on the next verse but improvises. This only lightens the atmosphere further with a splash of endearing humility and O’Brien confidently progresses to the end with the captivating Hot Scary Summer and album closer, an epic ode to the work of Ada Lovelace, simply titled Ada. The latter swells, spirals and cascades well over the five-minute mark and leaves the crowd hanging on to the final note before erupting with applause and cries for more.

A brief absence from the stage punctuates the set before a swift encore caps the night off with the crowd singing in unison. Intimate anthem Courage sounds authentically country in this setting with O’Brien’s delicate strumming so precise you can hear every string resonate beneath the exquisite range of his dreamy vocal, now at peak mellifluence. Squeals of relief and delight meet the opening of dichotomous favourite Nothing Arrived as the band deliver a buoyant rendition, charming yet raucous, and always bittersweet. It’s a fitting close to the night, where all is not but exactly what it seems. Conor O’Brien has never looked so resolutely content and confident on stage as he does right now, and while showcasing these new songs, with this band, he very much deserves to.

John Grant – Edinburgh Playhouse

Live music, Music Review

Full Disclosure: I love John Grant. From the very first play of Pale Green Ghosts – which I bought purely on the basis of Amazon’s persistent recommendation and the colour of the typeface used for his name on the cover – I was head over heels for his earthy baritone and acerbic lyrics. The unfamiliar blend of piano balladry and electronica got right under my skin. Without investigating his musical lineage or consulting any of my gig buddies I bought a ticket for his show at the O2 ABC that October and found myself on the barrier, positively beaming for the entire set. He had this sexy disco lumberjack vibe going that was utterly endearing; I walked away from that gig dazed but heart-full. I saw John play in each of the next 3 years. His performances with the Royal Northern Sinfonia were astonishingly beautiful and incredibly inspiring. At the very last show of touring Pale Green Ghosts, on his birthday no less, he dueted on Glacier with Villagers’ Conor O’Brien, dedicating it to Ireland, where same-sex marriage had recently been legalised by popular vote.

Each show and every tour was, in its own way, very special – I mean, the last time I saw him, at Celtic Connections, one of my very best friends was supporting – and so when I arrived at the Edinburgh Playhouse on Monday evening my heart was already this kind of translucent sponge, eager to soak up as much of that voice and wit and charm as the night would allow. As it happened, the night allowed for plenty as the show was expected to run from 8pm until approximately 9.30pm with no support or interval. 90 minutes to just sit and absorb. You could feel the excitement and anticipation among the crowd, hurrying into their seats and checking times with every steward on the way in.

When the lights went down almighty applause erupted and sustained until John and his band were all in their positions. Then, a pause. The pulsing beat and electronic arpeggio opening You Don’t Have To saw the crowd instantly nodding along. It was calm for the most part; soothing melancholy love songs interspersed with increasingly raucous applause and the occasionally indecipherable come-on from somewhere in the back of the stalls. The set was light on songs from the most recent album, 2015’s Grey Tickles, Black Pressure, but flowed nicely and allowed John to move between synth, piano and vocal duties regularly, working the stage strategically. With otherwise perfect posture he committed to TC & Honeybear with his whole body, expressing through piano sentiments that cannot quite be articulated by words and melody combined.

The performer-audience cycle repeated thus; powerfully emotive song, rapturous applause, restorative pause. “I’m glad we can enjoy silence together” John quipped. “This is for you” he continued before delivering a first class rendition of GMF. One “fun song to play” lead to another and Pale Green Ghosts was met with yet a greater level of enthusiasm from the already fervent crowd. There was a maelstrom of lights across the stage and in the centre, while not singing, John stood with his hands outstretched toward the heavens, as if conducting the storm. This exhibition filled the vastness of the stage convincingly with the drummer at one point upstanding to play. The sheer physicality of the sound was reciprocated with thunderous applause after a final flash plunged the stage into darkness, so loud that you couldn’t even hear John’s gratitude. This cleared the sonic landscape for newcomer and title track from the forthcoming album Love Is Magic, due in October. The bittersweet, synth-heavy song isn’t exceptional to his usual pallette but stood out partly for the fact it is very familiar to some fans and not at all to others; the mixed reception was noticeable. The song features layers of sounds filtering through like an 80s sci-fi soundtrack or arcade game (most likely inspired by the latter; John was actually wearing an Atari Centipede t-shirt). Perhaps it stood in contrast to what played before it; it certainly couldn’t be more different to what followed. In its emphatic simplicity Glacier lays John’s sonorous voice as the centrepiece, gradually adorned with piano flourishes that grow into an epic flurry of percussive harmonies. It was followed swiftly and gracefully by Queen Of Denmark as John took to the piano to conduct the rest of his band through the dramatic finale, fists futilely pounding at the keyboard while guitar and drums battled for ultimate supremacy of volume. As the last brutal dynamic explosion occurred many of the crowd quickly leapt from their seats in fits of furious applause. I wouldn’t have believed those 3000 people could get any louder, but here, they sure showed me! The madness spread until all three levels of seating had delivered a standing ovation and beckoned John and his supporting musicians back to the stage.

Although it was obviously a planned encore it was pitched to the audience, rather than the occasion. Sigourney Weaver made it into the final act by request. In one final burst of shimmering synth, Black Belt had people throwing shapes in their seats, even out of their seats, like the weekend was just getting started. After an hour and 50 minutes of music everywhere you looked there were people grooving and smiling and bouncing, all under the spell of John Grant. And even if they weren’t, I was. I am. I love John Grant.

Setlist

You Don’t Have To

Outer Space

Marz

Grey Tickles, Black Pressure

Global Warming

TC and Honeybear

It’s Easier

GMF

Pale Green Ghosts

Love Is Magic

Glacier

Queen of Denmark

___

Vietnam

Caramel

It Doesn’t Matter To Him

Sigourney Weaver

Black Belt