Janice Forsyth's regular Radio Scotland Show is, for most of August, being recorded in front of a live audience in the BBC's big blue tent. Taking advantage of the talent in the city around them, each show features an array of Fringe and other Festival acts, performing and discussing their work. Clearly the quality of the product is very dependent on the acts on that day, and for this one, on 15 August, there was plenty of variety to enjoy.
This was also the last in a series where Forsyth shared the host duties with Sonya Feldhoff of ABC's Radio Adelaide, and the show is also to be broadcast in Australia.
After the usual volume level checks, getting the audience to clap and cheer at nothing very much, the two presenters, very much a double act, got proceedings underway. Six pipers and two drummers from the Tattoo house band played a short set which heralded a chat with Brigadier David Alfrey, the Tattoo's producer. Some interesting facts and tales about the history of the event, the planning involved, and it's worldwide popularity.
The first of four Fringe shows being promoted, Saquatch: The Opera is an experimental piece about the legendary Bigfoot. A short excerpt, with two singers performing, had sparse instrumentation, clear and intriguing vocals, and was very different to classical operatic works. Writer Roddy Bottum explained the origins of the piece, driven by his desire to tell stories in his music.
In contrast the next song, from Frightened Rabbit front man Scott Hutchison, was a lot more accessible, the first of three he'd contribute to the programme, although his real reason for being there became apparent later. The next guest on the sofa was Selina Thompson who performs salt. (no capitalisation), a dramatisation of the journey she and a companion made over the old slave trade routes via Ghana, Jamaica and Britain, and the lessons they learned of those dark events of the past. It sounded excellent, with some innovative ideas, but I see from the Fringe site that all performances have already sold out. The return of the pipers and drummers ended the first hour of the show. Good musicians certainly, but their faux shortbread tin Scottishness holds little appeal for me (Playing Scotland the Brave without any hint of irony in 2017? Really?), but went down well with a large section of the audience.
After the news break we were back with American Apphia Campbell singing a song from, and discussing her one woman show Woke. This contrasts the stories of real life 1970s Black Panther Assata Shakur and the contemporary but fictional Ambrosia, a young woman losing her innocence and becoming a part of the Black Lives Matter, and the ongoing struggle against racism in the US. With events in Charlottesville still resounding this couldn't be more relevant.
Another excellent song from Hutchison and then he was on the couch alongside local poet Michael Pedersen. The latter's latest volume, Oyster, is to be launched at the Book Festival this Friday, and is illustrated by Hutchison. Pedersen was hugely entertaining, a non stop ball of energy, and his recitation of the title work from the book was one of the best moments of the show.
The final guest was MJ McCarthy talking about his show Turntable based around conversations with people around the city and the memories that music stirs in them. He demonstrated the process with Forsyth as his subject and she found herself relating more about her past than she'd bargained for. A last song from Hutchison brought things to a close.
Forsyth's not the sharpest of interviewers (Feldhoff was often the more astue of the pair), and the quality of the show is heavily dependent on the guests on any given day, but as a way of coming across acts which you might otherwise miss it's a worthwhile way to spend a morning. And all for free of course....
The Janice Forsyth Show is on in the BBC Tent at 10.00 until 24 August. Apply to the BBC for free tickets.
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