Small Things Like These

Based on the book by Claire Keegan, the setting is the small Irish town of New Ross in 1985. The title sequence immediately gives us the theme of the story - a rotating skyline of the town, dominated by one point, the local church.

Bill Furlong (Cilliam Murphy) runs a coal merchants, drive the lorry round the town to make deliveries, before returning to his wife and five daughters.  He's a well known, well respected member of the community, treats his staff well, although his wife reckons he's a bit "too soft".  One morning he goes to make his delivery at the convent and finds, locked in the coal shed, a terrified young woman, begging him to take her with him.  He takes her in to the sisters, who fuss over and take her quickly away, then leaves.  But her fear remains in his mind.

Furlong has to decide.  Between the safety of acquiesence, as advocated by his wife (and given added persuasion by the Mother Superior).  Or the risk of becoming a social pariah, if he follows his conscience.  More information about the convent becomes obvious.  It is one of the infamous 'Magdalen Laundaries', where young women, pregnant and unmarried, are used as slave labout before thier babies are sold to childless families.  A practice that continued well into the nineties.  

These are the kind of nuns that give penguins a bad name.  This a society still in the grip of the church, which nefoces social convention and dictates who is unacceptable within the town.  The tension, the sense of oppression, is well conveyed, even as the town celebrates Christmas.  Murphy is excellent as the quiet man wrestling with the biggest decision he has ever faced, knowing that if he does the 'right thing' it will go badly for him and his family.  Knowing that standing up to this kind of evil has consequences well beyond himself.

It might be set in the past, but it feels so recent, with TV programmes and cars that many of us can still easily recall.  It is still very relevant, for that kind of oppression has many forms, and the fascist verion is looming over us so much nowadays.  A poerful reminder of the need to stand up to evil.

Rachel Walker and Aaron Jones, Traverse

Very professional.  Two good voices, two good musicians.  She the purer of tone, on keyboards, he with the more distinctive sound, on guitar and mandola.  A set of songs from their new album, and a couple from their last one.   Mostly slow paced ballads, in a mix of Gaelic and English (she’s from the Gaeltacht, he from the north of Ireland), almst all telling sad tales.  They can both relate a story too.

But.  While enjoyable enough, as a show it lacked variety of pace and tempo, lacked laughs, lacked any Wow moments.  Pleasant, gentle, mildly entertaining.  And ever so slightly soporific.

But full marks for ending with the beauty of The Broom o’the Cowdenknowes...

Will Pound & Jenn Butterworth, Traverse

 This had everything I could want from a gig.  Virtuoso performances, wonderful tunes and songs, and madcap humour.  

Pound is a harmonica genius, and not far behind that on the melodeon. Butterworth is the consummate accompanist, on guitar and stomp, as well as being a quality vocalist. It was a set of variety. Trad material in the main, but not as you'v eheard it before. New tunes, mixtures of fast, slow, and more fast.  Tunes from England, Ireland, Scotland, Holland, Spain…  Improvisations that made you wonder how many different variations on a simple melody line could there possibly be? Plus songs from Jenn’s upcoming solo album, with sympathetic backing, and solos, from harmonica.

And very funny, very unpredictable, and solidly on the left of politics.  What’s not to like?

Detained (A Play, a Pie and a Pint), Traverse

 Yemi (Titana Muthui) has been detained in a detention centre for refugees and asylum seekers.  Bea (Laura Lovemore), , her best friend eventually visits.And what’s the big difference between them?  A UK passport.

The threat of deportation hangs over Yemi, and months will pass as her solicitor works to get her free.  And, more importantly, prevent her being sent back to South Africa where a far worse fate awaits her. But Bea is a narcissist, and insists on relating her trivial probllsms, what she perceives to be her 'suffering', than to listen to her friend. And it takes further trauma for Yemi before she realises just how serious the situation is.

It's a low key script, with not a lot happening, a reflection of the tedium of incarceration. There are few laughs, mostly low level embarrassment for Bea's lack of self awareness. Muthui is convincingly despairing, but Lovemore took time to warm up, and looked a bit lost in the opening 20 minutes.

That tedium has it's uses though, bringing home the pojt of the asylum system. Dehumanising, threatening, boring, and designed to keep inmates (who may have done nothing wrong) in a constant state of anxiety. And, with Yemi’s case, a reminder that everyone who migrates has their own individual reasons, sometimes from circumstances that may be hard to explain.  They can put their own loved ones at risk if they divulge too much.

Not a sparkling addition to the PPP canon, and it’s a subject that really needs much more than 50 minutes, but it provides a decent stab at raising awareness of how terribly the UK behaves towards people seeking a new start in life, and how little understanding of their plight there really is.

The Manfreds, Queens Hall

We saw The Manfreds in Musselburgh about two years ago, and not much has changed since I wrote that review, which you can read here.  

The same line up of musicians, including Jones and McGuiness from the original 60s Manfred Mann line up.  Much the same set list as well, which meant mostly numbers dating back to those sixties days, plus a few blues outriders.  A Ben E King number included a memorable flute solo from Simon Curry, and channeling Howlin' Wolf brought out the best of Paul Jones's harmonica abilities.  There was the odd solo from each member of the sextet as well, notably from Marcus Cliff.

The set also included some material from McGuiness' late band, McGuiness Flint, and it was one of those, When I'm Dead and Gone, that really brought the audience to life and from then on they joined in with everything.  Those old Mann hits were certainly catchy!

Paul Jones' voice is in it's declining years, and can sound strained and a bit off key at times.  But he remains a charismatic front man, with great phrasing and that wonderful blues harmonica in his repertoire.  McGuiness remains as good a guitarist as ever - understated, sparse, but capable of sudden surprises and runs.

Yes, this is an act trading on nostalgia, and playing to a audience of (mostly) pensioners.  But they still have the musical chops and sheer enjoyment needed to create a good night of music.

The Outrun

I always dread seeing a film version of book I loved, but having heard Liptrot speak about it beforehand reassured me. That the character is Rona, not Amy, and is based on , but is not quite, her.  That cinematic necessity meant rewriting parts of her life, but to a positive end.

Rona (Saoirse Ronan) grew up on Orkney, with a wildly bipolar father and a mother who could barely cope.  When the chance arises, Rona escapes to London, where a promising career lies ahead.  As does a social life, and the discovery that she has an addictive personality.  The descent into alcoholism destroys career, relationships and health.  She begins her recovery, but needs to get away, and finds herself back on Orkney.

Where she battles through her recovery, with help, and conflict, and a brief relapse, and the power of nature.  She must still contend with her ever-variable father, and her mother who has not just found a god, but has become the happy-clappiest of christians.  But mostly she has to contend with the wild landscape and weather, and, strongest of all, her inner conflicts.

Like Rona’s mind, the film skips about, between present, childhood, and the London days, of addiction and realisation.  This highlightsthe contrasts between the bleak existence she led as an addict, and bleak existence the land forces upon her.  And it’s the latter which wins out, and heals.

A memorable performance from Ronan, vulnerable, scared, wild and unpredictable.  

Fairground Attraction, Usher Hall

The concert opened with support act Scott Matthews, a solo singer/songwriter.  He has an exciting voice with a wide range, and some interesting arrangements and instrumentation.  Several songs had intriguing lyrics, but lacked any real melodic identity.  Enjoyable enough at the time, but unmemorable.

Fairground Attraction featured the original 4 members of the band, plus Roger Beaujolais on glockenspiel and Graham Henderson on (mostly) piano accordion. The opening line, from guitarist Mark Nevin, was  “We are not a tribute band”!

Their set featured a mix of newer material and spme familiar classics from their 80s heyday. But the old stuff still sounded fresh too.  Partly through new arrangements, but mostly because Eddi Reader’s vocal technique has advanced greatly over the decades, with jazz and folk sensibilities developing her pop instincts.  Her scat singing, and Edith Piaf impression, were highlights.  

A wonderful mix, decent enough musicianship, catchy tunes, and that soaring voice. It was well worth them getting together again.

Note to self - avoid gigs at the Usher Hall when possible, at least for this kind of event.  The audience were not the musically literate kind we are used to, and too many behaved as if they hadn’t been allowed out for years, and nobody else mattered but them.  Talking during songs, leaving and returning during songs, blocking others view, clapping off the beat, singing off key.  So irritating…