A return to the house and some traditional folk music. For too many people that phrase still conjures up an image of old men in big jumpers and the members of The Furrow Collective couldn't be much further from that outdated notion. They're young, keep very busy with a wide variety of other bands and solo projects, but are all deeply steeped in the traditional music of their origins.
Two of the band come from England, two from Scotland, and they sing ballads from all across the British Isles, and sometimes beyond, with due respect for the originals, but bringing their own lovingly worked out interpretations. You can see the passion they have for this music in their performances and the way they talk about it.
With Lucy Farrell on viola (and a brief bit of musical saw, Emily Portman playing banjo and concertina, Alasdair Roberts on guitar and Rachel Newton on harp and fiddle, all four take turns in providing lead vocals and adding a varied mix of harmonies. All four are excellent vocalists from the sweetness of Portman through to the lugubrious voice of Roberts, and that rich variety
I know from past experience what superb instrumentalist Rachel Newton is (see this review of The Shee from earlier this year), and the others all have fine reputation as musicians, but there was no showing off tonight. There seems to have been a deliberate choice made to keep the arrangements simple and often sparse, presumably to keep the lyrics at the forefront of the sound, but it felt a bit frustrating knowing what they could be capable of and weren't delivering.
Some instrumental fireworks might have helped lift the overall performance which, whilst always enjoyable, felt a little slow paced. The one more up tempo number they included only came at the end of the second set, and more variety would have helped the overall feel of the gig. Although there was some unintentional relief when Emily suddenly brought fruit into the lyrics and all three women ended up with the giggles. It might have meant the disintegration of the song, but it was the kind of memorable moment you can only get from live music. Between numbers the comments from the band are often amusing, sometimes informative, and they engage well with their audience.
Despite lacking any real spark of excitement this was a very enjoyable night.
Wednesday 23 September 2015
Friday 18 September 2015
The Thursday Show, The Stand, Edinburgh
Exactly the same format of show as the one I reviewed last week, but with a different line up. Hosting tonight was another Stand regular, Stu Murphy. Like Susan M last week he got to know the people in the front row (including a couple of slightly confused looking Slovenians) and got the audience warmed up with his banter. His approach is less acerbic, but still very funny.
The first act was UK domiciled Dane Sofie Hagen. Good stuff on dealing with people who dare to mock her body shape, the problems she has with colloquial English (and Scottish!), and the strange things some of her Danish girlfriends come out with. Her tone is chatty, confiding, with some curveball surprises in the punchlines.
After the interval a disappointingly short set from Christopher Macarthur-Boyd. He began with a great opening line, about his vague resemblance to Gok Wan, and gave us stories about life with his ex girlfriend and moving back in with his parents. Laconic, with great comic timing, this is man I'd like to see more of. But he'd just about fit in the back pocket of the next man on stage, the larger than life Glaswegian Scott Gibson. He starts loud, he stays loud. A great start talking about the first experiences of life his nan gave him, but the tales of life with his partner and of holidays with the boys sometimes verged too much towards the stereotypically laddish route. He was very funny, which is what we we were all there for after all, but I did sometimes feel this was a talent in search of better material.
Final act of the night was one of Scottish comedy's big names, Vladimir McTavish. It's not that long since we saw his Fringe show so most of the material was familiar. But it was almost as funny second time around. McTavish is an accomplished a pro and mixes up the material, throws in new lines and ad libs, and keeps it fresh.
An excellent night of laughs.
The first act was UK domiciled Dane Sofie Hagen. Good stuff on dealing with people who dare to mock her body shape, the problems she has with colloquial English (and Scottish!), and the strange things some of her Danish girlfriends come out with. Her tone is chatty, confiding, with some curveball surprises in the punchlines.
After the interval a disappointingly short set from Christopher Macarthur-Boyd. He began with a great opening line, about his vague resemblance to Gok Wan, and gave us stories about life with his ex girlfriend and moving back in with his parents. Laconic, with great comic timing, this is man I'd like to see more of. But he'd just about fit in the back pocket of the next man on stage, the larger than life Glaswegian Scott Gibson. He starts loud, he stays loud. A great start talking about the first experiences of life his nan gave him, but the tales of life with his partner and of holidays with the boys sometimes verged too much towards the stereotypically laddish route. He was very funny, which is what we we were all there for after all, but I did sometimes feel this was a talent in search of better material.
Final act of the night was one of Scottish comedy's big names, Vladimir McTavish. It's not that long since we saw his Fringe show so most of the material was familiar. But it was almost as funny second time around. McTavish is an accomplished a pro and mixes up the material, throws in new lines and ad libs, and keeps it fresh.
An excellent night of laughs.
Saturday 12 September 2015
Sheesham & Lotus & Son, Eastgate Theatre, Peebles
Sheesham Crow, Lotus Wight and Son Sanderson are neither a greengrocer's emporium nor a firm of solicitors. They play old time American music and have a lot of fun doing just that, whilst giving their audiences a very different entertainment experience. Such is their dedication to reproducing the original sounds of the 1920s and 30s that their latest album was recorded using almost the same technology as old 78rpm albums had available, then digitised for CD! And this idiosyncratic approach is apparent in their stage show.
Sheesham and Lotus front the act with two fine, powerful and rich tenor voices, each taking their share of the lead vocals. Most of their songs date back to the period they so admire and include plenty of opportunity for a bit of singalong audience participation. Crow plays fiddle and does a superb job on harmonica, with Wight on banjo. Underwriting the enterprise is the rock solid sousaphone accompaniment of Sanderson. Add in a bit of Jew's harp, bones, kazoo, a weird harmonica/trumpet combo, some vocal impersonations of a brass section, and soaring whistling from Sheesham, produces a sound that has variety, imagination, eccentricity and moments of surprise.
Their enjoyment of the music is obvious and that passion is one of the reasons why the experience they generate is so captivating. Sheesham is all charm and suave sophistication. The impassive bulldog visage of Lotus breaks out into a big grin and sets his left leg a-flapping. And Son wears a beguiling aura of bewilderment. They are chatty, funny and tell stories that give insights into the approach they bring to their music. (Plus being a pleasure to chat with at the interval and as we left the building.) Above all they are excellent musicians, a very tight unit that have a very clear focus on what they bring to the world.
It would seem impossible not to get swept up in the toe tapping tunes and songs. This might not be the kind of music you'd think would be to your taste, but here's a band producing a live experience that defies genres.
Sheesham and Lotus and Son are proper entertainers.
Sheesham and Lotus front the act with two fine, powerful and rich tenor voices, each taking their share of the lead vocals. Most of their songs date back to the period they so admire and include plenty of opportunity for a bit of singalong audience participation. Crow plays fiddle and does a superb job on harmonica, with Wight on banjo. Underwriting the enterprise is the rock solid sousaphone accompaniment of Sanderson. Add in a bit of Jew's harp, bones, kazoo, a weird harmonica/trumpet combo, some vocal impersonations of a brass section, and soaring whistling from Sheesham, produces a sound that has variety, imagination, eccentricity and moments of surprise.
Their enjoyment of the music is obvious and that passion is one of the reasons why the experience they generate is so captivating. Sheesham is all charm and suave sophistication. The impassive bulldog visage of Lotus breaks out into a big grin and sets his left leg a-flapping. And Son wears a beguiling aura of bewilderment. They are chatty, funny and tell stories that give insights into the approach they bring to their music. (Plus being a pleasure to chat with at the interval and as we left the building.) Above all they are excellent musicians, a very tight unit that have a very clear focus on what they bring to the world.
It would seem impossible not to get swept up in the toe tapping tunes and songs. This might not be the kind of music you'd think would be to your taste, but here's a band producing a live experience that defies genres.
Sheesham and Lotus and Son are proper entertainers.
Friday 11 September 2015
The Thursday Show, The Stand, Edinburgh
One of the Stand's regular shows featuring a local MC and four Scottish comedians doing their stuff. In charge tonight was the wonderful Susan Morrison who gets to know her audience then rips the piss out of them. Unfazed by any comeback, she is the perfect host to get the crowd fired up and laughing. Which immediately made life easier for the four acts she introduced.
First up was Lloyd Griffiths who revealed a surprising professional talent away from his comedy job. Griffiths is a chorister and and gave us a couple of opportunities to hear the power, quality and range of his superb singing voice. It's a job which has given him an ability to reel off facts about English Cathedrals, which he proceeded to demonstrate by responding as the names of cathedral towns were shouted out. Impressive, but not all that funny. But there were enough laughs, even if the humour got a bit boorishly laddish at times. And he certainly made the guy in the front row feel uncomfortable for making an attempt at a joke about Griffiths' less than sylph like figure.
After the break we had Fifer Kate Dillon. This was the weakest set of the evening with laughs few in number and too much of the material focusing on Kate's obsession with her own body image. There were a few good lines about her ex, but this felt like a routine that still needed a lot of work done on it.
John Gillick was a bit of a slow burner. Initially his material felt dated and a throwback to more sexist times, but that gradually melted away and there were some very good stories, especially when he got on to the subject of dogs. His slow delivery lends itself to building up tales bit by bit towards the punchline.
After the second interval Susan brought on the headline act for the night, Mark Nelson. A superb set, and the only one of the four who came close to being as downright hilarious as Morrison. There are some excellently crafted jokes in his routine, but he also showed a great ability to ad lib and improvise, after an audience member took his words a little too seriously. I left regretting missing out on seeing his Fringe show. Maybe next year.
The Stand is open seven nights a week and it's no wonder that they continue to get good crowds when one of their bread and butter shows is of such high quality.
First up was Lloyd Griffiths who revealed a surprising professional talent away from his comedy job. Griffiths is a chorister and and gave us a couple of opportunities to hear the power, quality and range of his superb singing voice. It's a job which has given him an ability to reel off facts about English Cathedrals, which he proceeded to demonstrate by responding as the names of cathedral towns were shouted out. Impressive, but not all that funny. But there were enough laughs, even if the humour got a bit boorishly laddish at times. And he certainly made the guy in the front row feel uncomfortable for making an attempt at a joke about Griffiths' less than sylph like figure.
After the break we had Fifer Kate Dillon. This was the weakest set of the evening with laughs few in number and too much of the material focusing on Kate's obsession with her own body image. There were a few good lines about her ex, but this felt like a routine that still needed a lot of work done on it.
John Gillick was a bit of a slow burner. Initially his material felt dated and a throwback to more sexist times, but that gradually melted away and there were some very good stories, especially when he got on to the subject of dogs. His slow delivery lends itself to building up tales bit by bit towards the punchline.
After the second interval Susan brought on the headline act for the night, Mark Nelson. A superb set, and the only one of the four who came close to being as downright hilarious as Morrison. There are some excellently crafted jokes in his routine, but he also showed a great ability to ad lib and improvise, after an audience member took his words a little too seriously. I left regretting missing out on seeing his Fringe show. Maybe next year.
The Stand is open seven nights a week and it's no wonder that they continue to get good crowds when one of their bread and butter shows is of such high quality.
Friday 4 September 2015
John Doyle
It's been a few months since I was last at a House concert and it felt good to be back, especially as tonight's act was one of the greatest musicians to come out of the Irish tradition. Doyle rose to fame as the guitarist in renowned Irish-American band Solas and has worked as collaborator and producer with many stars from the folk world.
This solo performance had him playing both guitar and a guitar-bodied bouzouki, both with incredible virtuosity. Most of the set was given over to songs, with a few tunes thrown in to the mix. he's an excellent vocalist. The tone of the voice isn't particularly distinctive, but it has a pleasing sweetness in the higher notes and his phrasing is inventive and original. It's sign of a vivid musical imagination when even the most hackneyed classic such as Wild Rover comes out sounding hot off the press, the rowdy drinking song transformed into an emotional ballad. John can also knock out some pretty decent songs and tunes of his own, with the beautiful Liberty's Sweet Shore standing out as a fine example of the craft.
Doyle, with his boyishly infectious grin, engages well with his audience. He can tell a good story and provided plenty background information to the songs, with laughs along the way. There's plenty opportunities for the crowd to join in on choruses, a sea shanty that was new to me being a highlight for building up a swelling sound in the room. And out of that crowd, to play a set of whistle tunes and sing a song, came the legend that is Cathal O'Connell. He might be looking a bit more frail than of old, but he still whistle up a storm. And it was impressive to watch Doyle pick up on tunes he hadn't heard before and develop accompaniments that were much more than a few simple chords.
And it's that guitar playing that will be my principle memory of the evening. I would have preferred a few more tunes at the expense of some singing, because watching and listening to those digits dancing across the frets was a source of joy, but that's quibbling. A fabulous performance and a performer not to be missed if you get the chance.
This solo performance had him playing both guitar and a guitar-bodied bouzouki, both with incredible virtuosity. Most of the set was given over to songs, with a few tunes thrown in to the mix. he's an excellent vocalist. The tone of the voice isn't particularly distinctive, but it has a pleasing sweetness in the higher notes and his phrasing is inventive and original. It's sign of a vivid musical imagination when even the most hackneyed classic such as Wild Rover comes out sounding hot off the press, the rowdy drinking song transformed into an emotional ballad. John can also knock out some pretty decent songs and tunes of his own, with the beautiful Liberty's Sweet Shore standing out as a fine example of the craft.
Doyle, with his boyishly infectious grin, engages well with his audience. He can tell a good story and provided plenty background information to the songs, with laughs along the way. There's plenty opportunities for the crowd to join in on choruses, a sea shanty that was new to me being a highlight for building up a swelling sound in the room. And out of that crowd, to play a set of whistle tunes and sing a song, came the legend that is Cathal O'Connell. He might be looking a bit more frail than of old, but he still whistle up a storm. And it was impressive to watch Doyle pick up on tunes he hadn't heard before and develop accompaniments that were much more than a few simple chords.
And it's that guitar playing that will be my principle memory of the evening. I would have preferred a few more tunes at the expense of some singing, because watching and listening to those digits dancing across the frets was a source of joy, but that's quibbling. A fabulous performance and a performer not to be missed if you get the chance.
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