The Manfreds, Queens Hall

We saw The Manfreds in Musselburgh about two years ago, and not much has changed since I wrote that review, which you can read here.  

The same line up of msicians, including Jones and McGuiness from the original 60s Manfred Mann line up.  Much the same set list as well, which meant mostly numbers dating back to those sixties days, plus a few blues outriders.  A Ben E King number included a memorable flute solo from Simon Curry, and channeling Howlin' Wolf brought out the best of Paul Jones's harmonica abilities.  There was the odd solo from each member of the sextet as well, notably from Marcus Cliff.

The set also included some material from McGuiness' late band, McGuiness Flint, and it was one of those, When I'm Dead and Gone, that really brought the audience to life and from then on they joined in with everything.  Those old Mann hits were certainly catchy!

Paul Jones' voice is in it's declining years, and can sound strained and a bit off key at times.  But he remains a charismatic front man, with great phrasing and that wonderful blues harmonica in his repertoire.  McGuiness remains as good a guitarist as ever - understated, sparse, but capable of sudden surprise and runs.

Yes, this is an act trading on nostalgia, and playing to a audience of (moslty) pensioners.  But they still have the musical chops and sheer enjoyment needed to create a good night of music.

The Outrun

I always dread seeing a film version of book I loved, but having heard Liptrot speak about it beforehand reassured me. That the character is Rona, not Amy, and is based on , but is not quite, her.  That cinematic necessity meant rewriting parts of her life, but to a positive end.

Rona (Saoirse Ronan) grew up on Orkney, with a wildly bipolar father and a mother who could barely cope.  When the chance arises, Rona escapes to London, where a promising career lies ahead.  As does a social life, and the discovery that she has an addictive personality.  The descent into alcoholism destroys career, relationships and health.  She begins her recovery, but needs to get away, and finds herself back on Orkney.

Where she battles through her recovery, with help, and conflict, and a brief relapse, and the power of nature.  She must still contend with her ever-variable father, and her mother who has not just found a god, but has become the happy-clappiest of christians.  But mostly she has to contend with the wild landscape and weather, and, strongest of all, her inner conflicts.

Like Rona’s mind, the film skips about, between present, childhood, and the London days, of addiction and realisation.  This highlightsthe contrasts between the bleak existence she led as an addict, and bleak existence the land forces upon her.  And it’s the latter which wins out, and heals.

A memorable performance from Ronan, vulnerable, scared, wild and unpredictable.  

Fairground Attraction, Usher Hall

The concert opened with support act Scott Matthews, a solo singer/songwriter.  He has an exciting voice with a wide range, and some interesting arrangements and instrumentation.  Several songs had intriguing lyrics, but lacked any real melodic identity.  Enjoyable enough at the time, but unmemorable.

Fairground Attraction featured the original 4 members of the band, plus Roger Beaujolais on glockenspiel and Graham Henderson on (mostly) piano accordion. The opening line, from guitarist Mark Nevin, was  “We are not a tribute band”!

Their set featured a mix of newer material and spme familiar classics from their 80s heyday. But the old stuff still sounded fresh too.  Partly through new arrangements, but mostly because Eddi Reader’s vocal technique has advanced greatly over the decades, with jazz and folk sensibilities developing her pop instincts.  Her scat singing, and Edith Piaf impression, were highlights.  

A wonderful mix, decent enough musicianship, catchy tunes, and that soaring voice. It was well worth them getting together again.

Note to self - avoid gigs at the Usher Hall when possible, at least for this kind of event.  The audience were not the musically literate kind we are used to, and too many behaved as if they hadn’t been allowed out for years, and nobody else mattered but them.  Talking during songs, leaving and returning during songs, blocking others view, clapping off the beat, singing off key.  So irritating…

Lost Girls/At Bus Stops (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

Jess and Iona, out for a good time in a bustling Fringe-laden Edinburgh.  Friends for a long time, almost but not quite lovers for just as long.  A love letter to the city, through closes the arteries, up and down hills.  Fringe venues, bars, clubs.  And bus stops.

It’s a  lively script, jumping around through the night, through the places,through histories, between two povs.  A few extra characters thrown in.  A will they, won’t they love story.

Except… we know they will.  Despite the jumping around, and the implications of uncertainty, the ending is always well telegraphed.  And that makes it feel like a long and at times unnecessary journey.  There are a few laughs, even a hint of sadness, anger, but it’s all too predictable despite those elements.

A shouty Catriona Faint plays Jess - more aggressive, wilder, likely to cause trouble (as wit a bouncer)

Leyla Aycan’s Iona is  quieter, more introspective, but loves the contrast between them.

But upsetting to an Edinburgh audience to have someone who is supposed to be so familiar with the city pronouncing Cowgate like an English tourist!

Anna / Anastasia (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Anna (Kirsty McDuff) has been rescued after jumping off a bridge in 1920s Berlin.  Franz (Chris Forbes), a police detective, has the job of finding out who she really is.  But what is he to make of her claim to be the last surviving member of the Romanovs, the despotic rulers of Russia before the revolution?

Anna - or the Princess Anastasia? - will come back into his life over the years,always with a story to tell.  Are her stories true>  And does it really matter (except to a policeman…)

McDuff plays the younger Anna as a manic child, who softens her edges, but never loses her edge, over the decades.  Forbes plays the straight man for the most part, but has some wonderful comic moments when playing the entire Romanov family, and their firing squad, as the executions took place.  And Franz learns something of life from the intriguing Anna.

While there are plenty of laughs, and moments of real pathos, the story does build towards a more serious point of reflection.  We are who we present ourselves to the world as.  Sometimes that can be to hide from the hurt of our past, or maybe it’s just to be who we prefer to be, or to not succumb to society’s image of the ageing process.  We all need to tell stories.  Anna (or Anastasia) is an extreme example (and based on the real story of Anna Anderson), but Franz also learns that he can be more than he seems, if that’s who he wants to become.  We all can. 

An excellent demonstration of just how much power a fifty minute comedy drama can exert.

Lulo Reinhardt and Yuliya Lonskaya - Gypsy Meets Classic , Traverse

 Billed as Gypsy Jazz (Reinhardt) meets Classical (Lonskaya), the evening gave us 2 guitars and 2 vocalists (with a little bit of unusual percussion!), and a mix of instrumentals and ballads from all around the globe. Songs from Mongolia  India, Argentina Brazil, Eastern Europe, North Africa.  Songs in at least 7 languages. There might not be much gypsy jazz involved, but the melting pot of material throws up some fascinating contrasts, and a hugely varied set list.

Her classical training is obvious.  In the way she sits, holds her instrument, in the precision and discipline of her playing.  While he improvises, adding and taking notes in as he goes.  The rhythm and melodic responsibilities swap back and forth, sometimes several times a tune.  There is drama, and emotion.  His voice is passable, hers a beautiful instrument, that bring love and drama out, even though the words are alien to the listener.

At times they may overindulge their mutual passions, make things overly intricate.  But then the natural musicality and understanding always returns and brings surprises and delights. They do talk between numbers, and provide interesting background to the music.  Neither feels like a natural raconteur - but English is not their first language!!

A delightful mix of styles and genres, with often astonishing musicality and a glorious singing voice.

The Wolves at the Door (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 It’s early 2023 and the cost of living crisis is biting hard.  Daniel (Ciaran Stewart) lives in a grubby flat, kips in a sleeping bag on the couch, and tries to keep his head above the turbulent waters. Mostly for the sake of Belle, his 7 year old, who lives with her mum most of the time. 

While he’s out the flat is broken into by Malc (Ben Ewing) and Susanne (Beth Marshall), who quickly reveal themselves to be, not burglars (because what is there to steal?), but a debt collector and electrical engineer respectively.  They’ve come because Daniel owes a four figure debt to the power company.  Malc just wants to get on with it, but Susanne, new to the job, thinks that maybe they’re being unnecessarily harsh.  And when Daniel comes home to find them in his flat, trouble breaks out.

Set against the metaphor of the 3 Little Pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, the script looks to portray just how hard life, and the System, is for people having to live on the margins.  The script is more hammer than scalpel, but it gets the point over clearly.  And, unfortunately, what’s not exactly the greatest dialogue ever written is not helped by some weakness in the performances.  Marshall stands out as the one who really delivers, and Susanne is the most believable of the trio, filled with a confusing mix of compassion, guilt, and her own needs.  Stewart is rarely credible, despite having the most emotional meat to work with.  While Ewing spans the middle ground, certainly coming over as unlikeable, but not quite credible as the hard man.

It’s a bleak subject, and there are a few decent laughs to relieve the gloom, but overall this was one of the weaker additions to the PPP canon.