It was a long, hot summer’s day, and I wasn’t entirely sure if I really fancied sitting in the dark and dingy tunnels, but the hype surrounding Youtube sensation Kate Mcgill made me very curious indeed. I was not disappointed – her delicate voice and heart-aching songs interestingly contrasted with a good sense of humour with the crowd and made for a brilliant set. There were four acts supporting her, all of whom were very entertaining and left me a very happy Holly!
First up was Leanne Smith and chums who very nervously took to the stage but proved very talented indeed! First they played a cover of man-of-the-moment Ben Howard’s ‘Old Pine’ which introduced Smith’s style and vocal abilities beautifully and was well received by the audience. A bit more confidence and gigging experience and there is real potential for some great Aberdonian talent.
Up next was an act entitled Rambler which I had assumed would be a band but was a lady with a guitar. Very simply she had one of the most unusual voices I had ever heard and indeed her name iss a pretty good description of her songs. Long, fluid and unstructured, the songs floated effortlessly through the Tunnels enchanting most of the crowd.
Fourth act was Margaret Finlayson, another lady with her guitar who gave a confident performance with much encouragement from friends who came along to watch. She had a magnificent voice and really brilliant songs, one which even left a slight tear in my eye. A wonderful cover of Gotye ‘Somebody I Used to Know’ was sung with much emotion and was a fantastic re-interpretation of what has almost become a classic.
The final support came from Ross Buchanan. As much as I enjoy female vocalists it was refreshing to hear a male voice and what a lovely voice it was too. Funny and engaging with the crowd he won everyone over with a soulful voice which suited the summery weather perfectly. His cover of Jack Johnson ‘Better Together’ was matched well with his cheeky chappy charm. He ended his set by rather bizarrely drinking a glass of hot chilli sauce – still not entirely sure why, but it did add to the entertainment.
Finally Kate Mcgill came on with much excitement and anticipation running through the crowd. Simply herself, her guitar and Tom and his guitar, they played gorgeous songs which left a silent audience hanging on every note. It was a mesmerising performance and she is clearly an incredibly talented woman despite having no formal training. Her songs have that wonderful quality of being entirely relatable and her performance seemed very personal and incredibly emotional. Despite some drama over a guitar string, the set went down without a hitch. Her interactions with the crowd were amusing and touching – she just seemed like someone chilling with her friends and a guitar. At the end we all gathered around for a photo which made it seem all the more intimate and personal which shows despite her rocket to fame she is just a normal person but with an unmistakable talent.
Holly Abbott
