Scottish fiddle band Session A9 opened the evening before a packed out concert hall. A group that takes it's name from Scotland's principal northern arterial road is likely to have a decent sense of humour, and so it proved, with an enjoyable amusing few lines to get things going. Keyboard, guitar, mandolin and percussion back up a powerhouse fiddle section playing a wide mix of traditional and modern tunes. Belly Dance gave us eastern Mediterranean rhythms, there was a bluesy song from the pen of the late John Martyn, and lots of clever and imaginative arrangements. Some beauty too, with a few haunting slower numbers, but it was the fast stuff that got the crowd really going and cheering the band from the stage at the interval.
I'd be more than happy to go to a gig with Session A9 as the headline act, but....
Famed French Canadian bands Le Vent Du Nord and De Temps Antan have joined forces to form a Quebecois supergroup. Putting together the trio and quartet provides a range of seven excellent male voices, a wide variety of instruments, and, most crucially, four top class exponents of the foot tapping percussion that defines the unique sound of the region. Oh, and a line up of charismatic jokers.
To the sound of Thus Spake Zarathustra the musicians emerged one by one, each taking away the solo spot from their predecessor, amidst much play acting. And it was immediately apparent why they, and not the local act, were tonight's headliners. Both of the component bands have been at the forefront of advancing the genre and the traditional melodies come with imaginative arrangements and instrumentation. There was even a keyboard solo that owed more to progrock than any folk tradition. But I don't think Rick Wakeman ever had a Jew's harp providing the beat!
The songs are mostly call and response, solos and harmonies, rich vocal quality. A capella numbers had a compelling quality, and to hear that septet of vocalists accompanied only by the complex tapping of four pairs of feet was a special aural and visual experience. The dexterity of the musicians has to be seen to be believed, for it's hard to imagine how one person can play a melody with their hands, complex percussion with their feet, and still have the brain capacity to sing backing vocals....
By the end they had the entire audience on their feet, caught up in the infectious excitement of the music and the joyful personalities of the performers. This was one of the best gigs I've ever attended. Simply fabulous.
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