Soundhouse Presents : Three Times Five, Piandrome at The Pitt, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

The Soundhouse organisation, a driving force in providing quality, accessible live music in the city, had three quintets playing gigs in the Pianodrome as part of the 2019 Fringe.  So why not ask all three to do a short set each in one amazing all-star concert.  I've written reviews on all three bands in the past, so I will simply link to one each as the music remains the same.  It was the format that differed, with each band only having time for three or four numbers each.

First up were the Kinnaris Quintet who looked delighted to play to a round of pianos stacked with people, plus a few on any seat that was available, even what looked like a tennis umpire's chair!  They got things off to an energetic start, keeping the chat to a minimum and the music to the max.  Wonderful.

Kudos to the Pianodrome tech crew who effected such rapid turnarounds between each performance and had the next act, John Goldie and the High Plains on in five minutes.  Goldie's an amusing raconteur, but he too kept the talk short and to the point.  Another great set before the final band.  Moishe's Bagel are a highlight in any context and did not disappoint.  Fiddler Greg Lawson personified the intoxicating and international nature of their music, with a dazzling performance of virtuosity and passion.  The Bagel is not to be missed.

There are shows, Fringe and otherwise, at the Piandrome every day until 25 August.  Well worth making the trip out to Leith to have a look and take in the atmosphere.

Soundhouse Presents : Kinnaris Quintet, Pianodrome at The Pitt, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Sparkling in their outfits, personalities and music, Kinnaris provided a stellar hour in the piano based amphitheatre.  Their only album to date, Free One, gets a lot of play in the Crawford home, but there's nothing like the exhilaration of live performance.  Three fiddles (one of them five-string), mandolin and guitar playing largely self penned tunes.  The compositions reflect their Scottish folk roots, and the many other influences they've absorbed, constantly switching tempos, developing themes, moving the melodic lead from instrument to instrument, infected with the clear enjoyment the five derive from playing together.  Sparse, lush, romantic and uplifting, the music is underpinned by the imaginative guitar accompaniment of Jenn Butterworth, and her jury-rigged shoe stomp amplification drives the beat in the rockier passages.  Kinnaris won a lot of new fans tonight, deservedly.

There are shows, Fringe and otherwise, at the Piandrome every day until 25 August.  Well worth making the trip out to Leith to have a look and take in the atmosphere.

Kirsty Law : Young Night Thought, Pianodrome at The Pitt, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Named after Robert Louis Stevenson poem, Young Night Thought is Law's audio-visual project exploring the concept of "the inner child".  The performance began with a ten minute film of images and music of childhood and keeping the magic of that time alive.Interesting, if a touch overlong.  On came Law and her band, with Kirsty on keyboard and vocals, a drummer and bassist, and the wonderful Esther Swift on harp.  The songs mixed traditional themes, both verbal and musical, with modern interpretations.  Law has a good, expressive voice, pleasingly retaining her accent in song, and Swift's harp added some ethereal touches to the music.  Excellent drummer too.  A nicely balanced set, not inspiring, didn't get the blood flowing, but thought provoking and enjoyable.  And the Pianodrome setting lends it's own special magic to proceedings.

There are shows, Fringe and otherwise, at the Piandrome every day until 25 August.  Well worth making the trip out to Leith to have a look and take in the atmosphere.

The Piano Men, Pianodrome at The Pitt, Edinburgh Festival Fringe

Australian Emma Knights has grown up always knowing she would be a piano player.  But the lack of women role models in the public eye meant she had to turn to men for inspiration.  In this hour she takes us through some of those who shaped her musical thinking, and the women who should have had the recognition that history denied them.

There's a decent script to give the show structure, some of it very informative.  There are songs from the likes of Billy Joel and Elton John and many others, and comparisons between the quality of work produced by male classical composers and the almost unknown works by their female contemporaries.  Knights is a solid pianist and can turn her hands to a variety of styles, but is let down by her singing.  It's a strong voice, with good phrasing at times, but there's too many off notes for her to described as a singer.  Nonetheless her enthusiasm, knowledge and keyboard strengths carry the show through and it was an interesting hour, not least because of the fascinating Pianodrome surroundings.

There are shows at the Piandrome every day until 25 August.  Well worth making the trip out to Leith to have a look and take in the atmosphere.

Cera Impala and the New Prohibition Band, Pianodrome at The Pitt

It's been almost two and a half years since I last had the privilege of seeing this outfit, and, musically at least, I have little to add to the review I wrote then.  Still as enjoyable musically and as entertainers, the novelty lay more in the setting.  The Pianodrome is an indoor amphitheatre built from old pianos, on which the audience sit and surround the performers. Acoustically it's not all that great, but it's an atmospheric place, albeit not a very comfortable one - cushions were provided and are much needed, at least by those of my generation.  But it's somewhere you should try to experience if you enjoy seeing something different, and it's in use every day of the Fringe.  Worth making the trek out to Leith for.