Police Dog Hogan, Glasshouse, Gateshead

 It had been well over a decade since we first saw PDH.  There had been tickets bought since, but going unsiued due to force majeure (heavy snow in one case, covid in another).  So this was eagerly anticipated, and I wonderted what changes there would have been.  

A different line up for a start, with only three of the original group still there, and acting as the front men of the band.  James Studholme (guitar and lead vocals), Tim Dowling (banjo, electric guitar, backing vocals and occasional lead vocalist) and Eddie Bishop (fiddle and mandolin, and backing vocals) have been there since the beginning, and have developed over the years into slick entertainers, as well as much improved in the musicianship.  They have been joined by Shahen Galichian on keyboards and accordion, Don Bowen on bass guitar and Alistair Hamer on drums, with all of this trio also adding to the vocals.

I recalled, from that long ago gig, that PDH were competent musicians, who played within their limits, wrote excellent songs with memorable lyrics, and were good entertainers.  Much of that description still applies.  But they are even more entertaining, with some slick comedy built into the act.  The musical abilites have improved with time, so that their limits are higher than before.  Galichian adds another level, as the standout talent of the line up.  And the songs lyrics remain of a high standard.  Fummy, sad, ruminative, with clever structures and rhymes.  The melodies are decent too.

The style is derive from country, bluegrass and folk, with a West Country twist here and there.  A very Englsih form of Ameicana.  Studholme sings well.  Not the greatest voice technically, but distinctive, characterful, with imaginative phrasing.  Dowling impressed with his songs too.  

There was a good mix of the familiar, including the nearest they've had to 'hits' (Shitty White Wine and West Country Boy), and newer material.  Regular changes in tempo and sentiment and themes kept it all feeling fresh.  From the whimsical, like returning to Devon on the A303, to the melancholy, with reflections of the death of fathers.

I hope it isn't another decade before I see them again.

Brian Bilston and Henry Normal, Assembly Rooms

 Henry Normal in the first half, Bilston in the second.  A strong start when Normal came on to the Thurderbirds theme - he's very much of my generation!

Poetry and stories and jokes from Normal, in his own understated style.  Mostly very funny, but with occasional moments of thoughtfulness or sadness, or even anger about the horrors of the world.  And love.  His style is generally whimsical, full of clever puns.but there's some steel lying under the covers.

Bilston is more acerbic in his language, with well direxcted poetic gems against the monsters of today, like Trump and Johnson and the ridiculous Musk.  He's stronger on wordplay and structure and double meanings than Normal, with, at times, an intentionally cerebral approach, challenging his audience.  Well structured set that moved on rapidly across the wonderful and the bizarre.

A very enjoyable, and at times thought proviking, two hours.

The Scaff (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Personal politics on the playground and the pitch. The Scaff features four aspiring school footballers, and social misfits, in a story of insults, jealousy, revenge and catharsis. Liam (Benjamin Keachie) has overheard star striker Coco (Craig McLean) calling him a Scaff - the worst possible insult. Egged on by mates Jamie (Bailey Newsome) and Frankie (Stuart Edgar), he targets his tormentor with a brutal tackle, and an injury that will keep Coco on the sidelines for months to come. Inevitably he is ostracised, not only by the whole school, but by his two supposed friends as well. And, being from a poor one-parent family, Liam is easy to put down.

But schoolroom relationships are complex, and malleable, and things don't stay that way for long. Over fifty minutes we learn the real reason for Coco's use of the hated insult, why Frankie and Jamie bend with the wind, and if Liam can rehabilitate himself. And maybe even be the hero of the hour?

While there are elements of social commentary sitting in there, this script is all about the laughs, and the play is extremely funny. The odd moment of pathos, and the feel of a Boy's Own storyline, are thrown in, but what you leave with is a memory of high energy, slick interactions, audience involvement, and some very funny lines. All four performers give a good account of themselves, as much a team on stage as on the ball.

A very enjoyable, if lightweight, end to the PPP season.

Hotdog (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Joni (Chloe-Anne Tylor) is off to a party. Not just any party, but The One. And in not just any outfit, but a hotdog in a bun costume, complete with mustard. She's no money, but no matter, something will turn up to join her budget bottle of Lidl lemonade. And she'll be the centre of attention, looking as she does.

It's all for fun, all to get herself back out there. But is there more to it? Are there darker reasons involved? This location has a special significance for Joni, and strong memories. Traumatic memories. She wanted to be confronting her demons. But what if they prove stronger than her?

Hotdog is a powerful tale of dealing with past horrors, and facing the future. And of accepting support and help and love wherever it comes from. Tylor gives a mesmerising performance, by turns manic, pragmatic and consumed with grief. While this is a one woman show for much of the time, there is, lurking in the background, a stage hand (Ross Allan), who provides props, moves chairs, delivers sound effects. And turns into a friendly chippie owner for the closing scene, for the only dialogue of the play. A voice of sense, laced with humour, as contrast to Joni's emotional highs and lows.

Another excellent PPP.

Anna Massie, Traverse

 Massie has something of a cult following already, from her appearances with a variety of bands, her work as a guitar tutor, the lockdown vlog hit The Black isle Correspondent, and her Radio Scotland work. Branching out into solo gigging, on the back of an excellent album, Two Down, will only enhance her reputation.

String virtuoso and natural comic raconteur, she is an all round entertainer. A very varied set mixed song with tunes, and those stories. The first time I heard Anna singing, as part of her duo with Mairearad Green, I wasn't convinced. She can carry a tune no bother of course, but the voice was thin and of limited range. I don't know if she's taken lessons, or simply got stuck in to the practice, but this was a huge improvement. It'll never be a great singing voice, but she fully understands her limitations, and her vocals have charm to spare. Song choice is clever, and those with comic lyrics combine well with the twinkling grim that's never far away.

On the night she played guitar, tenor guitar, and a bit of mandolin (no fiddle or banjo this time, though she's equally accomplished on both). Constantly inventive, the tunes are one variation after another, be it slow or fast tempo. And there's a bit of audience participation too, with choruses to join in with, and 'mouth trumpet' to emulate.

Great music, great entertainment, and an excellent way to spend an evening.

Spring Equinox - Jennifer Austin, St Giles

 A solo piano performance in the vast cathedral space, featuring tracks from Austin's debut solo album, Night Painting, which is on general release soon. She has a subtle touch on the keyboard and in her timing, and writes deceptively simple melodies which build and swirl around the arrangement. Although steeped in the Orcadian folk tradition, Austin has moved into a genre that's hard to classify, drawing on a multitude of influences. In feel it's often classical, almost baroque, but then come traces of the folk background, or hints of jazz. It all fitted well with the atmosphere of the venue, her pauses leaving chords hanging in the cathedral heights. It was all very relaxing, and if there's a quibble it's that the tempo didn't vary enough. An injection of something livelier half way through the set would have introduced a bit more variety. But that's a minor point, and the overall feeling was one of calm, of vast landscapes and peace. Beautiful.

Pushin' Thirty (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Eilidh (Taylor Dyson) and Scott (Sam James Smith) were best friends at school. She's the singer, he's the guitarist, and that was the band. They were going to make it big. In London. Except that when their schooldays end Eilidh's mother is ill, she won't leave, so Scott goes south by himself, determined not to return until he has the fame and fortune he is certain awaits him.

Twelve years later and Scott is back in Dundee, dreams in tatters, while Eilidh works in a baker's shop.  A pie brings them together once again.  Can the old duo be rekindled, or has time destroyed their dreams?  And if one of them needs rescuing from their situation, which one is it?

The format seems a bit odd at first, each actor intertwining their narration of past and present with one another.  It's almost as if the writers (Dyson, with Calum Kelly) aren't sure how to portray the story in dialogue.  But it ends up working, as some action unfolds, and each get a chance to play other characters (Dyson is clearly having a great time portaying their ex-schoolmate Billy), the whole stage is wel used and the pace never flags.  There are original songs throughout.  (Neither has that great a singing voice, but they do sound really good singing together.) 

Perhaps the points being made are a bit heavy handed and sometimes predictable.  There's nothing subtle about Pushin' Thirty.  But it's all very easily forgiven for providing such great entertainment.  The performances are energetci and excellent, and the sense of fun carries it all along nicely.  Time rarely passes without yet another really funny line.

A lot of the PP series are thought provoking and relevant.  But there's definitely a place for pure entertainments like this.  Maybe the audience doesn't leave thinking about much, but the grins on their faces and laughter in their voices are achievement enough.