Blues Afternoon (Sandy Tweedale Band and Gus Munro, Big Boy Bloater, Martin Harley Trio), Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 Opening act was the trio fronted by one of Scotland's best known, and best, blues guitarists, Sandy Tweedale. Backing from drums and electric bass. But Sandy largely stood aside and let his guest, Gus Munro, take the spotlight. No bad thing, as Munro has a good blues voice, his own style of guitar playing, and an engagingly laid back stage persona, complete with dry humour. Tweedale's guitar solos still took the plaudits though, and gave us the ideal start to our three hours.

Next up came English act Big Boy Bloater. Another singer and guitarist backed by bass and drums. He certainly is a big boy, and has an enjoyably sub-Waits edge to his vocals. The backing is tight, the guitar playing decent enough, and he engages with the audience. But this is one set that never quite made the connection with the audience, and it all felt a big flat after BBB's time on stage.

Fortunately Woking's Martin Harley was in anchor position and saw out the afternoon in style. Less rocky, more bluesy, and so laid back. Drums and bass once again provided the backing, but Harley is a very different guitarist from what came before, as well as being a much better singer and songwriter. And a good raconteur too. Acoustic blues guitar, and dobro on his lap, provided a purer sound, and he's a master of the slide. This set took us to different worlds and soundscapes, and raised the tone considerably. If Harley is back next year then I want to see him.

Nirek Mokar and his Boogie Messengers, Spiegeltent, George Square, Edinburgh Jazz and Blues Festival

 

A French, four piece, multigenerational line up. Drums, guitar, sax and the titular star on piano. Mokar is in his early twenties, and stated that wind man Claude Brand was 74. The latter's high energy performance belied that fact.

Boogie Woogie features in their name, and in their repertoire, but there is so much more to their overall performance. Jazz, swing. blues, even some rock influences, make for an eclectic sound. Mostly original compositions, but the odd classic thrown in.

I mentioned energy before, and that, and virtuosity, are the hallmarks of their stage presence. Tremendous solos from all four members, but with Mokar always the pick of the bunch for his power, sensitivity and imagination. He's a decent enough vocalist too, and can be pretty funny in his slightly stilted English.

The standing ovation at the end was well earned and wholly deserved. Great music, great show, great theatre. If Mokar returns in future then so will we.

Recital de Guitarra Portuguesa, Tourist Office, Faro

 

If you've been to Portugal you've probably come across Fado, the (mostly) mournful singing that is a national institutuion.  But the vocals are only one elelment of Fado, with the 12 string Portuguese guitar the complementary companion.  Hearing the instrument without the voice sounded interesting, and it was only for 40 minutes, so we went along to see what it might be like.

And emerged delighted with our decision.  Joao Cuna is a Fado virtuoso, and a custodian of the form's history.  His set went well beyond mere entertainment, with the music intersperesed with an audio-visual presentation that explained the history of Fado (which dates back around 200 years) and the instrument associated with it.  The different types of Fado and guitar, the working class roots of one form and elitist origins of the other.  The music provided examples of thse differences, along with more recent melodies which help keep the tradition alive.  Both the story and the music were fascinating.  The music itself seemed alien at first, but the ears adapted, and more modern pieces were more accessible.  But Cuna's virtuosity was never in doubt.

As an added bonus the man had a more familiar 6 string guitar available for anyone in the audience who played.  A young Frenchman voluteered and together they jammed a couple of numbers at the end, a fun way to close an interesting set.  Well worth seeking out if you are ever in Faro.

André and Dorine, Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2023)

 The eponymous couple have been together for many years, and their tolerance of each other's behaviour has eroded over time. He gets irritated when she plays her cello while he tries to write, and she hates the sound of his typewriter as she tries to play. When their son comes to visit he gets caught up in the middle of the storm, literally pulled both ways.

But when Dorine is diagnosed with dementia their world changes. In a series of flashbacks we see André recall how their younger selves first met, got married, were deeply in love, his ongoing irritations now tempered by his memories.

That outline only hints at the deeply emotional story that unfolds on stage. Wordless and faceless, 3 actors (Jose Dault, Garbine Insausti and Edu Carcamo) portray 11 characters using exaggerated masks and wigs, minor costume changes, and the power of body language. There is never any doubt about who's who, or what their reactions to events are. This physical theatre provides many moments of brilliant comedy, through to genuine pathos. There is a dance sequence towards the end that moved me to tears of emotion and will stay with me for some time to come. André and Dorine is a celebration of real-world love.

Madrid's KULUNKA Teatro have produced a truly beautiful theatrical performance that shouldn't be missed, and seems destined to become my outstanding memory of the 2023 Fringe.

André and Dorine is on in the Assembly Rooms until 20th August.

Maggie & Me, Traverse

 Already a successful memoir in print, this is not a straight stage adaptation of the original, but a look at how Damian Barr faced up to his childhood traumas in writing the book.  

Barr (Gary Lamont) is trying to write his memoir, but having problems facing up to the truth of the traumatic abuse he suffered as a child.  His partner Mike (Douglas Rankine) is sympathetic, but uncertain.  So Barr starts to revisit his past in fantasy enactments, guided by the ghost of the Wicked Witch of Grantham, whose brutal actions dominagted the policital landscape of his formative years.  Notably the vile Section 28.

With Thatcher as his guide to separating fantasy from reality, the adult Barr watches his teenage self interact with friends, family, school, all the while shying away from the events he most needs to revisit if he's to make his memoir honest.  he gets there in the end, of course, but it's an effective illustration of how difficult the process must have been for hom.  Along the way there are plenty of laughs, a bit of song and dance, and moments of pathos and tragedy.  An entertainment show with a dark underside.  

In general this structure works well, if a little forced at times, and the writer writing about his writing is a better idea that a straight retelling of the memoir.  Enjoyable, but not as memorable as the book.

John McCusker & Friends, Kings Place, London

 John McCusker has been a mainstay of the Scottish, and UK, folk scene for decades.  A key figure in several bands, an in demand producer, and a regular with Mark Knopfler's live band.  So it's no surprise that he has a great number of talented friends to draw on for this gig.

In addition to John, we also got Mike McGoldrick, Toby Shaer, Kris Drever, and Simin Thoumire.  Plus a variety of guests who came and went as the occasion demanded - Roddy Woomble, Kim Carnie, Jackie Oates, Sam Kelly.  So we had a strong linneup of top Scottish and English folk talent.

Greast sets, greart songs, great craic.  Effectively a brief reunion of supergroup Drever, McCusker, Woomble.  And some songs for the audience to join in on.  A perfect evening.

James V : Katherine, Eastgate Theatre, Peebles

This was a very different offering to the previous plays in series. They were full length plays, with complicated and impressive sets, dramatic costumes, big casts and star names. Playing to big audiences. Everything about #5 reverses those attributes. Minimalist set and costumes, a cast of four, playing six parts, a run time of less than ninety minutes, no big name star. And the titular king only features towards the end.

So a very different creature from what went before, and expectations need recalibrating. As before it does take it's starting point from real events. In this case the death of Scotland's first protestant martyr, Patrick Hamilton (Benjamin Osugo). But the story is centred on the impact of said death on his sister, Katherine (Catriona Faint), and her avoidance of the same fate as her sibling. This is where fiction takes over, as Katherine battles with her conscience, the social impact of her (female) lover (Alyth Ross), and the influence of the king, leading her to choose love and life over faith.

When I say the set was minimalist I mean there was one wooden bench, and little else. Costumes were sombre, with barely a nod to period. But the theatricality is still there. The early scenes, with preacher Patrick in full rant at times, felt overly polemical, but the drama took over and improved as things progressed. It picked up markedly during Katherine's trial and the intervention by the young king (Sean Connor), with his speech bringing threat and comedy and a sense of balance. And a strong ending to conclude.

There were several contemporary themes that resonated, as is usually the case from Rona Munro's pen. The conflict between ideologies, and love and humanity (with love winning out in this case). Societal dangers of clashing religious extremes. The casual corruption of power. All so familiar right now.

My initial sense was one of disappointment, but that was only because expectations were not being met. Recalibrated, and with the script delivering more as time passed, I enjoyed the experience. It might be the weakest of the James series to date (will there be a James VI?), but there's still plenty to entertain, and ponder over. Worth seeing.