All of Us Strangers

 Adam (Andrew Scott) is a lonely screen writer who works from home in his flat, which is in a high rise block with seemingly no other occupants. He is trying to write something based on his own childhood, and goes through a box of old photos which trigger mixed memories. But then he meets Harry (Paul Mescal), who seems to be the only other resident of the block, and they end up having a passionate love affair.

But Adam is too troubled by the ghosts of his past, which his writing efforts have stirred into life. What follows is a portrait of a disturbed man held in the grip of unresolved grief and love. While the plot is often confusing, and the red herrings swim in shoals, that's an accurate reflection of Adam's state of mind, which increasingly leads him down paths that seem destined to lead to crisis.

It's a powerful evocation of the power of grief to determine our entire life if we allow it to, and the need to share if we are to deal with those issues. The idealised dialogues we allow ourselves to build internally have the ability to take over from reality. In Adam's case the two become increasingly one, and it will take something drastic to bring him out of it.

The performances are strong, and intense, with all four actors (Claire Foy and Jamie Bell have the only other speaking parts) delivering excellent performances. But the film revolves around Scott's troubled Adam, and his portrayal of a man in turmoil, using the past to try and understand himself, is masterful.

This is a movie, and character, that leaves you with questions and stays in the mind for a long while after viewing. Not to be missed.

Transatlantic Sessions, Usher Hall

 A joyous and sophisticated melange of an evening. With a total of sixteen talented musicians and singers on stage (I won't name them all...) and backgrounds in Scottish and Irish traditional music, and American Country and Bluegrass, how could it not be?

Of course there is some trepidation in going to a show which comes out of TV origins, but the overall format with some tweaking, transfers well. Helped out by plenty of laughs in the introductions and band interactions. Phil Cunningham is never one to be short of a funny story.

Fronted by American dobro maestro, Jerry Douglas, with fellow TA-founder Aly Bain from Shetland, the band played tune sets that mixed up the various styles of playing, with changes in tempo and mood. The singers all had a set in each half - Joshua Burnside from Ireland, Gaelic songstress Kim Carnie from Scotland, and country singers Lindsay Lou and Carlene Carter from the US. With Carter, daughter of legend June, showing her star quality and charisma (and channelling a bit of Johnny Cash, her stepfather). There was also a song from the band's guitarist John Doyle. And, an undoubted highlight, a solo from Appalachian bass player Daniel Kimbro. His chosen subject Michael Collins, the Apollo 11 crew member who didn't get to walk on the moon. Or, as Kimbro put it, the bassist of the astronauts.

But the biggest spontaneous cheer of the night went to Burnside for his lyric - "March up the Shanklill, March up the Falls, Doesn't matter where you're from, The tories fucked us all". Folkies are mostly decent people!

The encore was for the core band only, a set of tunes that once again demonstrated how that mix of styles and cultures can add delight and surprise to even the most familiar of tunes. Long may they continue to bring such imagination and joy to people.

Lau, St Giles

 

On as part of Edinburgh's First Footin' series for New Years Day, which saw a variety of city centre locations turned into venues for free music, this was the offering in St Giles' Cathedral, a spectacular venue with an equally special band taking part. They performed four forty five minute sets across the afternoon, to a fresh audience each time.

After a short reading from a Len Pennie poem, the compere brought on Kathryn Joseph, who played keyboard and sang a couple of songs. While clearly talented I find much of Joseph's material too dreary and repetitive to be enjoyable, with the lack of clarity to her voice leaving the listener with few clues as to what the song is about.

For her final song she was joined by the trio Lau, and that provided a distinct step up, partly from the song itself having a bit more life to it than the others, mostly due to the quality of the arrangement and backing vocals.

Joseph moved off and we were left with the trio Lau, and short set that took them back to their roots. Simply acoustic, only Martin's accordion, Aidan's fiddle and Kris' guitar and vocal. It was refreshing to see them they way they performed these fifteen years and more ago. As tight as ever, but still freely improvising, this was grin inducing, body moving stuff, and a perfect lift for New Year.

Dean Owens and the Sinners, Traverse

 

The now-traditional pre-Xmas home gig for Dean, this time with his four piece band, the Sinners, was as rowdy as ever, and even more emotional.  This was the first time without his parents in attendance (his mother was ill), so it was a tough one for the main man

The band featured long time associate Craig Ross on guitar, Adam McMillan on upright bass, and Philip Cardwell and Charles Dearness on trumpet.  The latter formed an important element of the night, because for the first half Dean mostly offered up material from his most recetn trio of albums, all with a strong Tex-Mex feel and brass backing.  That allowed for some very different arrangements on some older material, and that freshness made the familiar feel new.

Owens took an early opportunity to get the audience involved, not just singing along, but humming and whistling too.  Cue much laughter...

The second half opened with Dean playing solo, determined to get through his own tribute to his father, The Man from Leith.  With his voice starting to crack up from the emotion this time it was the crowd's turn to help him out, as we knew the words as well as he did.  It was one of those moments only live music can provide.  Ross helped him out with his next number, and then the full band returned to provide a rockeir feel to procreedings.  The crowd involvement level remained high, and the final number, appropriately The Last Song, was belted out by every voice in the bar, even those new to Dean's work.  

One final turn of the screw.  Deam solo to sing his mother's favourite song, After the Rain.  Another notch on the emtions, another test for the audience vocal chords.  Lovely stuff.

In all this I've said nothing much about the musicianship, which was solid, Ross as impressive a guitarist as ever. And Dean's vocals, some understandable cracking aside, is still as distinctive and plaintive as ever.

But this wasn't a night that was just about the music.  The Owens pre-Xmas gig is always a special one.  More so both for the reasons above, and for this being the final Travertse gig to be put on by Soundhouse, who have done so much for live music in this city.  All the best to Douglas and Jane-Anne in the future.

England and Son, Traverse

Something a bit different, at least in terms of format. For the section before the interval Mark Thomas emerged without fanfare, sat in a chair centre stage, and chatted to the audience, as himself. He explained how he first met the writer (Ed Edwards) of the play we were about to see, and the origins of the play itself. An important element of their working relationship is that both work with addicts at a centre in Manchester, teaching them drama and giving them the means to express themselves in a more literate fashion than they might have managed previously. Thomas being Thomas, this comes complete with impressions of the people he worked with, and was hilarious. But also gave a flavour of what it's like to be a recovering addict.

The play itself follows, where Thomas plays the 'son' of the title, as well as myriad other characters as they crop up. It's an often moving portrayal of an abusive childhood, and how the lack of self-worth that engenders that can feed into addiction and repetition of the cycle. The action is set during the eighties, where the actions of the Thatcher regime resulted in mass unemployment, the growth of the black economy, and an exponential increase in drugs use.

That Thomas' character is surnamed England, in the eponymous country that was in such great social decline, seems a heavy handed way of hammering home the metaphor we're presented with. But the script largely avoids a swerve into didacticism, and generates sympathy for 'son', very much the victim. It helps greatly that Thomas is the performer, with his trademark high energy, motormouthing style, his ability to improvise interactions with the audience, and deliver laugh upon laugh, yet still wring the pathos from the character's sodden lifestyle.

Hugely entertaining, and makes it's point well. Definitely worth seein

Boo Hewerdine and Heidi Talbot, Traverse

 Each a folk-world star in their own right, this very much a partnership of equals. Heidi's voice clear and a thing of beauty, Boo's expressive and calm. There's no fancy guitar work, but solid accompaniments enhancing the vocals, and some lovely harmonies when they combine. Each took it in turn to sing, both digging into their deep (very, very deep in Boo's case, going back to his days with cult band The Bible) back catalogues. A mix of tempos and subjects, with Heidi adding the traditional Bedlam Boys, all mashed up with Parton's Jolene.

All this and a comedy act too. Boo knows how to tell a good story, and his dry humour had the audience in stitches, while Heidi had a few tales to tell too. Both got the room singing along with them at times, notably on Boo's 'hit' song, Patience of Angels.

The encore gave us a duet of the classic What a Wonderful World, as made famous by Louis Armstrong, but this was one of the best versions I've ever heard.

A wonderful gig that flew by too quickly.

Frank & Percy, The Other Palace Theatre, London

 Percy (Ian McKellen) and Frank (Roger Allam) connect over dog walks on the Heath, and start to arrange to be out there at the same time each day.  First comes the usual dog-owners chit chat, but as the friendship grows they learn more about one anoother.  Frank, a retired seventyish teacher, is a widower still trying to find a place in life after the death of his beloved Alice.  Percy is an eightyish professor and controverialist, still actively writing and being published, who has long ago settled into the single life since her broke up with 'husband' (they were never officially married) Dennis.  

This casual acquaintenceship grows into something much deeper, and physical, as they meet more often, and Frank visits Percy's flat.  And that relationship finds itslef challenged by tsome of the changes which are an inevitable part of the ageing process.

In some ways the script is disappointingly devoid of any real meat, and what we have is very much in the light comedy genre, with both performers having fun whilst using their considerable skills to milk the laughs dry.  

That's not to say it doesn't introduce some more profound themes, but they are largely glossed over in favour of the funnies.  It's still good to see a late-life love affair played out before us, still too much a rarity in theatre and cinema.  Desire, lust and love are all there, along with illness, impotence, grief and loneliness.  Frank's recogntion of himself as a bi man feels a bit heavy handed, (although his Pride costume will live in the memory!). and that line of self examination is a recurring motif.

The set is minimal but flexible, the scene locations cleverly deliniated, and custume changesd, such as they are, often take place on stage.  

While it was a little disappointed to be oresented with somethign so lightweigt, this was more than compensated by seeing two old master paint their pictures before you.  Great fun.