An evening of seasonal songs, mixing traditional carols with folk songs and a bit of Gaelic. The wonderfully pure voice of Emily Smith backed by Jamie McLennan on fiddle, guitar and whistle, Ross Hamilton on bass and the wonderfully talented and very funny Anna massie on guitar. Plus the bonus of Gaelic vocalist Kathleen MacInnes for a few numbers. So there could be no complaints about the quality of the singing or musicianship, and the choice of songs and arrangements were decent enough. Add in a couple of instrumentals that allowed McLennan and Massie to show off their skills (with Anna's being a real highlight of the show) and this should have been glorious xmas entertainment.
So why did it feel so flat as an occasion? It certainly didn't help that Massie was clearly suffering from a nasty cough, and that McLennan had to join in at times. The setting had made a bit of an effort, with lights on the tables and lonely looking star hanging above Smith's head, but it didn't do much to say 'fun'. There were a couple of party-game type events that were well enough thought through, but never really managed to lift the atmosphere of polite applause that dominated. The band did their bit, so maybe this was just one of those audiences. A pity, as Smith is one of our best songstresses, Massie is so talented, and MacInnes' island softness was truly beautiful.
An evening that was less than the sum of its parts.
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