Vishtèn, Traverse

It's my considered opinion that any gig which starts up with a Jew's harp solo is going to turn out well.  And so it proved.

Based on Prince Edward Island, this Canadian trio play music from the Acadian tradition and beyond.  Given that Acadian music derives from French, Irish, Scottish and Cajun sources there's already a strong mix of styles at play, to which Vishtèn have added pop and rock influences to create a sound that brings fresh life to the tradition.  They take original songs and tunes and give them modern arrangements, as well as penning their own material.

Twin sisters Pastelle and Emmanuelle LeBlanc have been performing with Pascal Miousse for more than a decade, have six albums behind them, and share a strong musical imagination.  And an ability to shine on several instruments, with Miousse on fiddle and electric guitar, Pastelle playing keyboard and piano accordion, and the versatile Emmanuelle on keyboard, whistles, bouzouki, bodhran and the aforementioned twanging of the Jew's harp.  Both sisters also contribute percussion with feet on board through the traditional French Canadian art of podorythmie, and share the majority of lead vocals between them.  They've both got good voices, not outstanding nor particularly distinctive, but always enjoyable.  With Pastelle the slightly huskier, Emmanuelle the sweeter, they are at their best combining in harmony.  Miousee adds depth to the backing vocals and proved he has almost as good a voice as the others when he took a turn at the lead.

All are excellent musicians, Miousse often outstanding on fiddle, and the women providing a wonderful interchange of solo podorythmie.  They're strong communicators too, providing interesting and amusing explanations for the origins of the Acadian sound, and of the songs and tunes they'd chosen and composed, while Pascal's infectious grin did a lot to make us warm to them.  They even got the audience singing along in (cod) French.

Above all they communicate the joy of their music so well, with an infectious sense of fun.  While there are few delicate slow numbers (including one which included a beautifully modulated bodhran performance from Emmanuelle), they major on fast, foot tapping music, tunes to inspire and to dance to.  It's exhilarating stuff and had the crowd on their feet for the encore as the final set ended with frenetic energy.  They still have two weeks of their UK tour to go so if you get a chance to catch them I suggest you grab it immediately.

Aidan Goatley : Happy Britain, Dundee Rep Theatre

Aidan Goatley was having a shit week.  Britain was (is) having a shit couple of years.  But, for reasons he'll happily explain to you, Mr G reckons there's happiness out there and decided he should find out what makes people happy.  So he came up with  plan.

He'd visit the geographical centre of all of the UK's 105 counties and ask the first person he met there what made them happy.  Plus a few other questions suggested by friends, some of which involves sampling a lot of curry.

This show will tell you how that bright idea is working out.  He's already visited a lot of those counties, he's posed a lot of questions to random strangers, and he's getting enough material for this to become two shows (part 2 will come in 2020).  And if next year's can build on this it will be a belter, because this is already a very funny show.

Those who've seen Aidan before will know he's one of the gentler comedians on the circuit, sharp of observation but kind in intent.  His tales of these happiness-seeking travels range from heartwarming to genuinely baffling, but always with laughs and humanity.  It's a fine demonstration of how varied and random we are as a species, and that joy comes in many forms, just like toasties and mid-life crises.

I look forward to see how the show will have developed when it hits the Fringe in August, but it's already well worth seeking out.  Check Goatley's Facebook page for future dates and locations.

And I too hope that our hero makes it back to Sparkford Services  to find out how Bob's got on with the ladies after he smelled burning.  But we'll have to wait for Part 2 to learn that.

Rachel Sermanni, Museum of the Moon, St Giles

The Burns & Beyond week has seen the capital overflowing with arts events that are more or less bard-related.  The centrepiece has been the spectacular Museum of the Moon in St Giles' Cathedral, with a variety of musicians playing under a giant lunar sphere suspended from the vaulting arches above.  Tonight was the turn of singer/songwriter Rachel Sermanni, a bright cooky presence on stage with a sweet, soft and wide ranging voice backed up by intricate guitar accompaniment.  She was joined on stage for several numbers by keyboard player Jennifer Austin of Fara fame.

Opening with a very individual interpretation of Ae Fond Kiss, and ending up on a moving rendition of Flow gently, Sweet Afton established the Burns links.  In between she sang old and new material from her own pen, with as many references to the moon as she could cram in.  Her lyrics are smart, emotional, personal, there are some striking melodies, and all delivered in those gorgeous sweet vocals.  Slightly crazy, in a good way, she interacts well with her audience, her quirky personality shining through (a set list written on a paper cup - why not?).

Excellent entertainment in a striking setting.

Usher's Island / Sharon Shannon with Seckou Keita and Susan O'Neill, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Celtic Connections

If John Doyle and Mike McGoldrick are already recognised as being amongst the established superstars of Irish traditional music, what then to make of the three men who were on stage with them to form Usher's Island?  Two generations of outstanding musicians and singers combining to play songs and tunes with a definite Irish identity, but ful of modern twists.

Guitars, bouzoukis, fiddle, whistle, flute, uilleann pipes, harmonica and bodhran all play their part in the mix.  Three lead vocalists takes turns, with Donal Lunny's interesting singing in Irish, the excellent John Doyle, and, best of all, Andy Irvine's enduringly distinctive rich tones.  All five took their turn in introducing sets and songs, all five able to raise as laugh from the audience, and Irvine showing his renowned abilities as a raconteur.

Faultless musicianship, a sense of joy in playing with each other and a clear love for the tradition they come from all spring across in the performance.  And for me it was lovely to hear Andy once again singing The Plains of Kildare, which I first heard from him over four decades ago!  

Superb, timeless, and totally Irish.

Another Irish superstar hit the stage after the interval, button accordionist Sharon Shannon backed up by Jack Maher on electric guitar and vocals, Jim Murray on acoustic guitar, and the extraordinary Sean Regan on fiddle, percussion and beatboxing.  Shannon has built a stellar career through absorbing musical influences from all around the world and combining them with her grounding in the irish tradition, and this was reflected in the two guest musicians who joined the band.

Seckou Keita is a Senegaleses kora player and percussionist who brought African rhythms into the mix, and demonstrated his virtuosity on the big double necked 22 string kora with a harp-like sound.  He has a rich baritone voice too, which he showed off in his rendition of a song from his tradition, complete a with a very irish accompaniment.  

Susan O'Neill is an Irish singer/songwriter with a powerful Joplinesque voice who gave us a foot stomping Irish trad-rock version of Dolly Parton's Jolene, like you've never heard it before (and, to these ears, a huge improvement on the original).  It's an intoxicating voice, raw and wide ranging, but her biggest surprise was popping back on stage to add a great trumpet solo into a jazzy rip roaring instrumental set.

Never a dull moment, with Shannon an always amusing commentator between numbers, and what can be said of Regan's astonishing beatboxing - the look of wonder on Keita's face during one long solo said it all.  And how does he breathe?  I couldn't figure it out.

A joyous set, full of musical surprises, and ending up with a fully deserved standing ovation.

John Goldie and The High Plains, Traverse

Goldie is one of Scotland's outstanding guitarists, covering a wide range of genres.  He can also lay claim to be something of a communicator, in his own self deprecating manner.

The first set was performed solo, and along the way he gave a potted history of John Goldie, explaining his lack of any musical background and how he adopted various styles of play - rock, jazz, blues and more - along the way.  He's funny, modest and informative.  His tale of taking home a guitar played by Django Reinhardt and realising it was worth more than his flat got a big laugh.

The set mixed up some of his own compositions with clever rearrangements of familiar tunes.  Close your eyes and you'd swear there was more than one instrument playing so commanding is his technique.  And any set that includes Django jazz with Marvin Gaye and themes from Postman Pat and the Teletubbies can not be accused of lacking variety!

After the interval John was joined by the High Plains, a classic string quartet line up comprising classical musician Alice Allen, folkies Kristan Harvey and Patsy Reid and jazz maestro Seonaid Aitken who also did all the arrangements.  Unsurprisingly, given those backgrounds, the mix of styles and material was even more eclectic.  From moments of tender beauty through to driving foot stomping rhythms there was plenty of variety and something for all tastes, fronted by Goldie's virtuoso guitar and rambling stories.

Hugely impressive, hugely enjoyable, and unique.

Paul Jones and Dave Kelly, Music Room, Liverpool Philharmonic

I don't think I'm being unkind to describe these two stalwarts of the blues scene as veterans, given their combined age of 147!  That also gives them both an unrivalled knowledge of blues history and a love of obscure blues artists through the ages.  They combine those attributes with their own musicianship and ability as raconteurs to deliver an extremely entertaining show with inspiring musical moments and plenty of laughs.

They can both sing too, Kelly the better voice, Jones the better singer.  Kelly's guitar and Jones' harmonica playing combine intuitively, so long have they been playing together, with Dave outstanding in his use of the slide, Paul a master at providing intricate little fills when the strings take the lead.  A mix of well and lesser known classic blues songs, a striking blues adaptation of City of New Orleans from Kelly, breathtaking solos from Jones.  Paul sang a few of his songs too and if they aren't quite up to scratch lyrically he can certainly write a catchy tune.

Both have plenty to say, often informative on the origins of a piece, and full of funny stories from their long experience in the music business.  If you have any love for the blues at all you must see this pairing.

The Favourite

Pomp, pomposity, politics, intrigue and backstabbing.  This is the court of Queen Anne in the early 18th century.  Anne (Olivia Colman) leaves control of affairs of state to her intimate, Sarah the Duchess of Marlborough (Rachel Weisz), and is annoyed when her presence is demanded on official business.  Sarah finds a servant's position at court for her cousin Abigail (Emma Stone), who finds life in the lower ranks of the palace to be tough.  When the opportunity arrives to ingratiate herself with Anne she uses all her cunning to become the queen's favourite, aiming to usurp Sarah.  In doing so she becomes involved in the control of the government and the direction of the war in France.  One of the rivals has to come out on top....

For all that these are real life characters and, to a degree, events, this is more comedy than historical drama.  Colman's Anne is a petulant child, obsessed with her pet rabbits, easily buttered up but capable of sudden rage and arbitrary use of her powers.  The 2 rivals for her attention spark off one another well, with the tensions in their relationship well managed.  And there's an array of lesser characters enjoying the license of a costume drama that leaves plenty of scope for individual interpretations, Mark Gatiss' Marlborough notable amongst them.

It's wonderfully acted and the cinematography is striking, full of stunning images and filled with background detail.  Add in a funny and clever script and it's clear why the film is garnering plauidits all over the place.

Despite which I still found it a hard movie to warm to.  The soundtrack is at times intrusive to the point of irritation and there was, to me, an unresolved tension between the light tone of the humour against all the characters being very difficult to like.  Colman's Anne deserves our sympathies at times, but she's not someone you'd want to have a drink with.

Less satisfactory than it should be.

Dean Owens, Leith Folk Club

It's becoming a regular event to have local man Owens play his and the club's first gig of the year in the Victoria Park, and for there to be a packed house.  A tradition well worth maintaining.

Support came from beardy Leith FC regular Martin Lennon signing a selection of his own songs.  Woodbine gruff vocals, decent guitar accompaniment and funny, and frequently self deprecating, introductions made for a strong opening act.  The songs aren't all that memorable melodically, but Lennon writes some cracking lyrics, amusing, moving, personal.  He tells stories, paints pictures with his words, and draws his audience.  The perfect warm up man and, as one of his songs says, not old, just vintage.

Owens opened with My Town, one of my personal favourites from a deep well of strong numbers.  With just his own guitar and harmonica for accompaniment the stripped back sound emphasised what an accomplished writer Dean is, both of tunes and the words to go with them.  He talks a lot between numbers and need not apologise for doing so (although he often does) because the background to the writing process is interesting, often funny, and he tells a fine anecdote.  Vocals are distinctive Americana by way of the Port o' Leith, lyrics are often very personal but with a recognisable universality to the emotions and stories he relates.  Amd there are plenty of singalong moments for the audience.

Whether solo or in one of his many band line ups Dean Owens always delivers an entertaining gig.

Capercaillie, McEwan Hall

More than 30 years as one of Scotland's finest folk bands and still on top form.  Mid afternoon on New Years Day is an odd time for a gig, but on this evidence it's a habit worth forming.  With a front line of musicians who all have the talent to lead their own bands, Capercaillie are a powerhouse of musicality and improvisation.  Vocalist Karen Matheson is renowned as one of Scotland's finest Gaelic singers, her tone and range as impressive as ever.  Seven instrumentalists add bouzouki, guitar, accordion, keyboards, flute, whistles, Uilleann pipes and fiddle, backed up by bass guitar, drums and percussion.  Add in Fraser Fifield on whistles, soprano sax and highland bagpipes and there's an immense diversity of sound, the complex arrangements still allowing plenty of room for individual freedom of expression.

Guesting with the band were talented young duo Hannah Fisher on fiddle and Sorren Maclean on guitar.  Both got a chance to show off their own singing abilities, and added much to the instrumental mix.

With a well chosen mix of tempoes, and of new material followed by old favourites, the band had the audience n their feet and dancing away.  Tremendous stuff.

And the abiding memory of the day?  Even with ten instruments giving it laldy you could still clearly hear the flute or pipes of Mike McGoldrick doing what he does best - making shit up as he goes along!