Although Mars Patrol have achieved most success as a six piece band, this performance saw them return to their acoustic roots, and home town, for a stripped back set in an impressive New Town setting. Vocals from Davina Divine, guitar from Ross Nelson and, aside from a little electronic trickery courtesy of Nelson's pedal board, nothing else. Divine has a good voice, if a little sharp edged at times, and confident phrasing, easy to listen to. Nelson isn't quite out of the top drawer, but he's a more than competent musician, and uses the layering possibilities of the box at his feet to good effect. Together they are engaging performers, with an easy audience rapport.
Despite which I found myself looking at my watch long before the end of the gig. The fringe blurb describes them as "acclaimed Scottish songwriters". Which left me wondering - acclaimed by who? There wasn't a single song which, either lyrically or melodically, stuck in my mind. It was pop-bland, songwriting by numbers, and lacked any real character. By half way through I was longing for them to cover something better written which would showcase their talents more fully. Twas not to be though, and the result was an unsatisfactorily insipid 75 minutes.
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