Let's face it, the audience weren't there for the quality of the music, but to see some of their favourite authors letting their hair down. So it seems fair to review this as an entertainment, rather than a music gig. The FLCW are six well known authors of, obviously, crime fiction. Mark Billingham on acoustic guitar, Chris Brookmyre electric guitar, Stuart Neville lead guitar, backed by Doug Johnstone as drummer and Luce Veste bass, all finished off with Val McDermid giein it laldy on vocals.
They play covers of well known rock and pop songs from several decades. But mostly the seventies. Almost entirely the seventies. Some sixties, some eighties, and one foray into the twenty first century with the Kaiser Chiefs I Predict A Riot. Bowie, Stones, Alex Harvey, Pretenders, Proclaimers and many more. All with some link to crime, however tenuous.
Intriguingly the set began with an unaccompanied solo from McDermid, the classic Scots murder ballad The Twa Corbies, but quickly ramped up the pace and energy from there on. Wordsmiths are good with words, so there were some amusing moments, and plenty of effort to get the audience involved. Above all else, fun. They had fun, so we had fun, and the calendar slipped away.
What of the music? Johnstone is an impressive beat anchor, and Neville showed off some fleet fingered finesse with his solos. It won't have Jimmy Page looking over his shoulder, but still better than we might have expected. The same goes for the singing, Billingham, Brookmyre and Neville all taking their turns at lead vocals. And none of them were remotely close to terrible!
Go for the craic, be surprised at how good the music is, and enjoy the fun of the whole thing. Recommended - if you remember the seventies.
The Fun Lovin' Crime Writers are on in the Stand's New Town Theatre every day at 21.15 until the eleventh.
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