Category Archives: Live Music

Michael Cassidy + Margaret Finlayson + Jaimie Wren + Willson Gray @ The Tunnels, 9/2/13

Posted on by

Though a little surprised at the fact, I’m glad that the acoustic nights at The Tunnels are as well attended as they are.  It’s a good reflection on the quality of the acts and shows that there’s always an appetite for good music, even that which comes from quieter corners. Willson Gray was no exception to the rule, distinguishing himself by matching his falsetto timbre with a sparser instrumental rather than a more typically busy melody. What resulted was something that caught the attention more than a consistently busier piece would. It might sound odd on paper but when affecting Sting’s voice in a cover of The Police everything fitted together very well indeed.

He wasn’t the only act of the night to deliver a cover or two – Jaimie Wren did plenty of justice to her Emeli Sandé tributes. Unlike Willson who sounded distinctly Sting-esque, Jaimie was concerned less with channelling Sandé and more delivering her pieces with a similarly powerful voice, one which she carried on into her original pieces. It was a style a little more distinct from the other female acoustic acts that we’ve seen in Aberdeen, such as Margaret Finlayson, the final supporting act. We’ve talked about her on the ASR blog a few times already and I’m pleased to report that she’s still on top form. Giving us a couple of new tunes and a couple of recognisably catchy old ones, we’ll be happy to have her around the Aberdeen scene for a good while to come.

The headline of the night was Michael Cassidy, plus band. It took me a while to put my finger on it where I’d heard it before but this type of act was very similar to Katie Sutherland’s, as spotted at the AGP Weekender a couple of months back. Michael could very easily be a solid one-man acoustic act (as proved in some of his one-man song openers) but the band gives him so much more to work with. To say that the band come across more as an extension of Cassidy than the more typical group of independently creative individuals is no intended slight on the material that they play. What they achieved was to take the intimacy of an acoustic act and, perhaps to state the obvious, replace the musical tension and empty spaces with energy. When the desired effect is an upbeat, feel good one then it’s the perfect approach to take. There’s a tendency for Scottish artists to come across as melancholy with only the backing instruments keeping them from sounding miserable. While some of his recorded material comes across as such this certainly wasn’t the case live, with some fans moved to unabashedly dancing along (a Tunnels first, in my experience). Goes to show how big a difference hearing the music live makes.

I’m not sure that I’ve said all that much about the gig: then again, maybe there isn’t that much to say. The beauty of acoustic is that words and music are already at a minimal match and often all the better for it. It’s the sort of thing that speaks for itself far better than I could speak for it. If you haven’t already then you ought to take a chance on a night at one of Aberdeen’s smaller music venues and find out for yourself: I don’t think you’ll be disappointed.

Scott Reid

Peace + IndianRedLopez @ Tunnels, 10/2/13

Posted on by

It’s a sad reality that crowds in Aberdeen are not always as big as the bands playing deserve. Credit then to Peace, for cramming Tunnels to what must have been close to its full capacity. They’re a band marked for a potential indie-breakthrough this year, and anticipation for their debut album is comparable to that of the Vaccines a couple of years ago, and Arctic Monkeys way back in the day. In short, they are one of this year’s ‘great hopes’ for guitar music.

IndianRedLopez, a well-liked local electronic-rock type outfit, provided solid support. They handled the challenge of being the lone support group in front of a sizeable crowd quite easily. They’re reasonably experienced now, and clearly know what they’re doing. As a live experience, they put as much effort into things as any local band. They project images onto a screen that whirl and evolve along with the music, which manages to embellish the moods their music creates, rather than distracting from it. As you’d expect, their live set is punchier than their recorded output (check out debut album Empty Your Lungs and Breathe), and sometimes you wish they’d leave a little room for the vocal melodies to hit you harder. But they undoubtedly have some exciting tracks that marry guitars and synths effectively. The newer stuff also sounds pretty promising.

In some ways, Peace are your archetypal slacker indie band. They’ve got the laid-back frontman, whose expression hardly changes, and wears a long coat when it’s clearly inadvisable to do so on a boiling stage. They have a couple of preposterous haircuts. They saunter on to the stage clutching multiple bottles of beer each. They’ve got hunners of effects pedals that one suspects might just be there to show off how much psychedelia they’ve listened to.

Everything changes once they start playing. The first, most startling realisation is that this band is incredibly tight live. That straggly-haired, denim-wearing guitarist is peeling off riffs like he’s a real musician or something. And a really, really good one. That similarly straggly drummer might look like he’s about to keel over, but he’s also thumping out properly cool fills (especially on the atmospheric ‘1998 (Delicious)’). Peace are much better live than their lone E.P. would suggest. And if you’ve heard the likes of ‘Bloodshake’ before, you’ll know that’s some compliment. They sound huge. They’ve got enough poppy inflections to give them commercial potential as well. There haven’t been many more deliciously euphoric choruses recently than the one on ‘Wraith’. And from the first bar, the crowd loves them. ‘California Daze’ inspires a mass sing-along that actually leaves the band looking pleasantly shocked.

The set might have been short for a headliner (probably less than 45 minutes), but every single song made an impact. 2013 has been a pretty good year for music already, and Peace’s album will only make it better when it comes out on March 25th.

Alan Henderson

AGP Weekender – Saturday 24/11/12 @ Tunnels

Posted on by

Due to an afternoon spent fruitlessly shouting at a hopeless Scotland side (honestly, how do we lose to Tonga?) I only managed to get down to The Tunnels in time to catch the tail end of the day’s fourth act (of ten) The Mirror Trap. What I heard was good – something in the vein of a conservative Idlewild. With exceptions, Scottishness would be the main theme of the weekend: but, pleasingly, every act was distinct enough that the memory of the whole thing hasn’t dissolved into Frightened Rabbit/Biffy comparisons. Ok, maybe we can make a couple for This Silent Forest, but only because they fell into this category most of all. No bad thing, of course, just means that you know exactly what to expect if I told you they sounded a bit like The Twilight Sad. It’s often difficult to distinguish these bands at a live gig because so much of it comes down to lyrical content, and The Tunnels seems to suffer from underdone vocals. But if you have a collection of typical Scottish indie that you’re looking to add to, these guys come with a recommendation if you’ve become accustomed to a good crescendo.

Next up was Forest Fires, something a bit different. Borne of pop-punk but with as much musical flair behind it as fun, the sound of a genre grown-up, leading with a firm edge and finishing with inventiveness and substance. I’d heard good things about Forest Fires only to presume that they weren’t my cuppa – but where Blink and co. get boring these guys get creative. Cracking stuff.

Tango in the Attic, predictably, were a bit of an odd one. I couldn’t quite tell if the lyrics were intentionally shoegazey or if this was just The Tunnels being The Tunnels, but either either way it really complemented their not-quite-wall-of-noise-but-still-pretty-big mode of attack. Fuzzed up indie sounds best on stage, and this was no exception.

Brown Bear and the Bandits were a lively bunch, all fast-paced countrified folk with vocals à la Mumford (only Scottish, obviously). Incase that comes across as a bit depressing, they were anything but; we’d sing along if we knew the lyrics. There’s not much else to tell about what is essentially an acoustic act made lively with a backing band, only to say that I don’t think that this sort of thing could ever stop being enjoyable.

Then we had French Wives – a class act. It’s a bit difficult to pinpoint why these guys are better than other acts that do a very similar thing (a conundrum we’d run into again with Fatherson on Sunday): and if I told you that they’re another distinctly Scottish indie act on this label, there would be very little left that these guys could do to surprise you. But when they do their thing, they do it in correct measures. It gets anthemic, but where so often that feels a bit false and constructed, here it… well, didn’t. It says something that I could pick these guys as a highlight of the night, yet can’t make much headway in specifying why they aren’t just another indie act: they’re plain better than all that.

We ended the night with Katie Sutherland. You might think this an odd choice of headliner, given that the sell is very similar to Cara Mitchell (who I missed but from previous experience can tell you is excellent) and other girl-meets-guitar acts, and you’d be half right. Katie is like the local acoustic acts we’re already familiar with, but with bags more confidence, and the addition of a backing band made the set as whole feel more varied and stopped it from suffering from sounding all the same after a while as tends to happen with acoustic acts. Not that the band did anything especially groundbreaking – Katie was very obviously the focus, and she certainly had the voice and character to pull it off.

And yet, after all that I don’t think I’ve given a very good impression of what the weekend was like. It was a good 14 hours spent sitting listening to music – it felt like a very long time, sure, and maybe I didn’t get the good of some of the bands here because of it, but it was still time well spent. Twelve quid or so on the door sounds pricey, but for the amount and quality of entertainment you get, you can’t do much better in Aberdeen. Though if there’s going to a next AGP weekend (I wouldn’t be at all surprised if there is) I’d recommend that you get yourself acquainted with some of the acts before you go: discovering new music live can be great, but when you’ve got the best part of a day of listening ahead of you then you appreciate hearing a familiar tune.

Moreover, it affirmed something I’ve noticed about the Aberdeen scene. I’ve been to a good few gigs now, but not one of them, not even a single opening act, has been a duffer. We’re not a big scene, but we’ve certainly got quality. Big-ups to AGP for reppin’ it. Yo.

Scott Reid

Preview – Aberdeen Gig Promotions November Weekender 2012! @ Tunnels

Posted on by

The North-East’s music scene gets a (encouraging-rather-than-aggressive) kick up the arse this weekend (November 24th/25th) as a ridiculous number of talented musicians descend upon The Tunnels (or is it just ‘Tunnels’? the ‘The’ could be superfluous if you want to be awkward.)

Basically, this might be the most important thing to happen to the local scene since ‘Guitar Wifey’ moved in. For half the price of a Killers ticket, you get to see 20 acts, all organised by the always dependable Aberdeen Gig Promotions. Mathematically speaking, it’s something of a bargain. There’s also a pretty admirable mix of established veterans, exciting outfits ready for the next step, and generally less well-known local artists ready to capitalise on their opportunity to share a bill with some more experienced, well-loved faces. There’s a proper diversity in genre too. Everything’s being chucked into this – acoustic singer-songwriters, folk, pop, rock, indie, electro. No Celtic-rhumba-jazz-fusion, or Christian-folk-metal, unfortunately, but hey – maybe next year.

So, who exactly is playing? I’ll resist going for any literary curveballs, and just stick with running through it in chronological order. Saturday begins with a couple of acoustic singer-songwriters – the musical equivalent of a warm up and light stretch. Or, in my case, pre-drinking. The hype train behind local wunderkind Cara Mitchell will aim to gain momentum, as she brings her new E.P Have You Ever Wondered to Tunnels once again. You need to hear her voice, if you haven’t already. There’s also Foxes frontman and all-round culture enthusiast (he acts as well don’cha know) Nigel Thomas. Give his solo stuff a listen (pick it up FOR FREE here) and there’s a definite sense that he loves the freedom he has doing it himself – he has fun, you have fun, everyone’s happy. Apparently it was recorded in his bedroom, for heaven’s sake. A comfortable, conducive atmosphere for pouring one’s heart out? Or an excuse to not have to get dressed in the morning? You decide.

Once Nigel’s been shooed off, enthusiastic Dundonian rockers The Mirror Trap will look to blow everyone’s wee minds. Their Facebook biography might be the best thing I’ve ever read, and the passion so readily displayed there comes across in their live performances. Their strength mostly relies on their lyrics – don’t worry, they’ve got riffs, but it’s the underlying sense of unsettlement behind ‘My Alabama’ that truly sets it apart from the pile marked “landfill indie”.  Then there’s Tacado, who after winning a Facebook poll to earn a slot on the bill, will have to perform well or else democracy itself will suffer (in case The X Factor hasn’t killed everyone’s faith in it already). They’ll be completely different to anything on before them. They’re difficult to consign to a genre, but safe to say they’ll make you want to dance even though it’s only the afternoon. They really are a band that’ll want to use this thing as a springboard.

This Silent Forest really epitomise that genre that has almost been appropriated exclusively by Scottish bands – that kind of melodic, lilting but emotional indie rock that soars in all the right places. There are echoes of everyone from Idlewild to The Twilight Sad.  They’ll aim to prove they’re impressive in their own right on Saturday.

Hugely popular local alt-rock group Forest Fires don’t really need an introduction to most Aberdonian gig-goers. ‘Recovery’ and ‘Trial And Error’ are massive indie anthems, and if recent track ‘Avalanche’ is anything to go by they’re maturing into a slightly heavier but still melodically-inclined rock group. They’re also an incendiary live prospect (yup, that’s right, incendiary, let that one sink in). For some reason, you can get most of their music for free, here. Don’t expect the same generosity when their new E.P. comes out early next year (quote: “It’ll be out January. So it’ll probably be out February.” Pfffft, musicians.)

The phenomenally titled Tango In The Attic have a solid reputation for putting on a great live show. As well as being the best thing to come out of Glenrothes since Dougray Scott, they’re one of the most innovative bands of the weekend. Look out for seamless transitions between thrashing indie, smooth pop and spiky electro.

Alliteration enthusiasts Brown Bear & the Bandits kind of sound like The View decided the best thing for their careers would be to make a Mumford & Sons cover album. But with less banjos. And though that might be the worst description of anything ever, that’s genuinely the gist of their cheeky, dirty folk-pop. Matt Hickman (lead vocals) just sounds like a bit of a rascal. The young SAMA-winning three-piece will be trying to consolidate some North-East momentum.

French Wives are perhaps one of the most hotly anticipated bands of the weekend. They’ll be doing the penultimate set on the Saturday, so look for them to absorb all the momentum from those who came before them and just unleash it all back, like some sort of suave, sonically pleasing hyper-beam (yes, that’s a Pokémon reference, for anyone too old/too young). Their album Dream of the Inbetween was released in May, and it’s loaded with string-laden indie-pop anthems. Like Feeder, when they were good. ‘Younger’ is truly epic and ‘Me vs Me’ just oozes charm. If they can make all this translate in the cold, dark depths of Tunnels then they might be a contender for highlight of the weekend.

Katie Sutherland, or as you may know her, ‘yon quine fae Pearl & The Puppets’, has the duty of headlining Saturday night. Probably best known for the playfully happiness-inducing ‘Because I Do’, she and her band will look to give a memorable set to top off a memorable night. Her more recent solo stuff certainly doesn’t indicate a departure from the jaunty acoustic-pop of the aforementioned track, but there’s maybe an element of maturity that, understandably wasn’t there 2 or 3 years ago. It’s a lovely progression, and one that gives great hope for a polished, beautiful set on Saturday. The best comparison is perhaps to Feist – not only is there a vocal resemblance but she also took a successful if slightly twee base of interest and used it to draw people into her, where they just couldn’t get out. That’s definitely a good thing by the way.

Sunday promises just as many potential eargasms, if you’re not too tired. Megan Blyth kicks things off with some hangover-friendly acoustic stuff. Aberdeen has plenty great ‘girls with guitars’ (look up Leanne Smith, Margaret Finlayson, Rambler, Leighann Esslemont and of course you know about Cara Mitchell), it’s something of a challenge just getting noticed. This is a great opportunity for Megan to get her foot in the door. Her songs are heartfelt and she’s got an interesting tone that one senses hasn’t nearly been fully explored yet. Turn up early to find out how she’s doing with that.

Cats In Capes will take to the stage, to build some afternoon momentum with their laid-back indie (not a sentence I thought I’d ever have to write, that). They’re a band very much on the up. But the tracks they’ve got so far suggest plenty confidence and a sort of versatility that few young bands could pull off so effortlessly. They’re followed by AGP favourites The Winter Tradition. They describe themselves as ‘pop-rock’ but, depending on your definition of the genre, they might be selling themselves a little short. There’s great musicality about them, and – particularly live – their soundscapes and atmosphere are just as impressive as any catchy chorus they might come out with.

The Mouse That Ate The Cat have one of the most hotly anticipated sets of the weekend. There was dismay of almost Shakespearean proportions when The Dykeenies formally split this year – I like to think of it as people of a certain age’s ‘Take That incident’ – but frontman Brian Henderson is back, along with former Drive-by Argument chappy Colin Keenan. What does this new project sound like? Well you’ll have to go along to the gig to find out (I’m good at this promotion lark). I can tell you that it’s just as catchy as anything either of them have done before, but it’s obvious that they’re broadening their horizons a little. That vague enough for you?

Much hyped English rockers Angry vs The Bear have a pretty sleek brand of edgy pop going for them. Of course it would be naïve to define them by this alone, but the fact they’re fronted by a GIRL (!) should mean they’re at least providing something different. There must be something about bears that appeals to a musician. A third, if slightly more morbid group appears this weekend in the form of Penguins Kill Polar Bears. The local favourites are back in the game with their trademark almost post-rock wall of sound. They’re the kind of band that usually sound great in a venue like Tunnels, and many people are expecting them to do really well on Sunday.

Stirling indie-poppers Miniature Dinosaurs are probably one of Scotland’s greatest hopes for true commercial success at the moment. They recently released their Turn It On E.P, and critics and fans have been secreting fluids over it at an alarming rate. They’ve got a strange but definite kind of charisma, and the tunes to back it up. ‘Lemonade’ is sensational theatrical indie-pop. Also, they’re driving 10 straight hours to get up to The Deen in time for the gig, to raise funds for Scottish Autism. How cute are they? Seriously though, it would be amazing to get as much raised for that amazing cause as possible. We don’t want to have to phone Bono. Donate here.

Duke are quite surely becoming a favourite within the local music scene. Reminiscient of (sorry) Biffy Clyro, they have their own fresh-faced energy to go with the adventurous rhythms, soaring choruses and searing riffage. They stay the right side of the pop-rock/alt-rock line at all times, and they’ve identified where that line is alarmingly quickly. They should be good. Just don’t shout ‘Mon the Duke!’, or anything similarly upsetting.

The Fire And I are regarded as a pretty formidable live prospect. They’ve basically pilfered all the best aspects of pop, punk, alternative and post-hardcore to craft this riotous collection of hooks and heavy riffs. Tunnels is in for a noisy night. The Fire And I are basically made for this sort of venue: dirty (in a good way), stabbing, but still inherently musical rock music. With any luck they might treat the crowd to some material from their unreleased (and probably as yet unfinished) second album.

So, after 19 artists that couldn’t get more varied, it’s up to Fatherson to headline the whole shebang.  Poor things. It’s pretty handy then, that Fatherson are rather good. The Killie quartet/occasional quintet are pretty well loved, and were something of a no-brainer in terms of picking a headliner. They’ve got that lovely Scottish lilt. They’ve got choruses – good choruses. Emotive lyrics: check. In short, they’ve got everything necessary to provide a cathartic finale to a bloody huge weekend. This shit’s better than Twilight. To be honest, if you don’t have much of an interest in local music, or don’t think you’d like it, go to this and find out for sure. You’ll find something you like. Probably a few things. It’ll change your life. Ok, it probably won’t change your life, but it’ll be the most important weekend Tunnels, Aberdeen Gig Promotions and quite a few bands have experienced in a long while.

 

Here’s what you need to know:

It’s Saturday and Sunday the 24th and 25th of November.

It’s 3pm-11pm both days.

Tickets cost £12.50 each day, or £22 for both. Get tickets from One Up or the AGP website.

Have a look at the Facebook event page, and click ‘Attending’. Yes, you do actually have to attend as well.

Alan Henderson

Oxjam 2012 at Snafu – The Kitchen Cynics, Indian Red Lopez, Stanley

Posted on by

We used to have an old chap with a guitar come to our primary school every so often with and have us sing along to cringey Doric ditties. He was boring. But if Alan Davidson of the mostly-one-man outfit The Kitchen Cynics had been dispatched to educate us in a Scottish music tradition in his stead, it’s quite likely that our wee minds would’ve been blown clean out of our heads. His instrument of choice is a slimmed down guitar/violin lookin’ thingy (that’s the technical term for it), played with a bow and hooked up to a whole heap of pedals, loops and synthesizers. The resulting sound is a reverberating sonic wall, mournful by default but blinding and piercing when tweaked to the upper registers, conveying more emotion in his songs of Scottish tragedies and life’s bleakness than the simplicity of an acoustic guitar usually does. Stirring, and not in the usual way of the North East.

Next up was Indian Red Lopez, a familiar name to those whole follow the Aberdonian scene. Plenty of well-packaged indie to enjoy here, at times even more sonic Mr Davidson, with Michael Chang giving a vocal performance like him from Snow Patrol but with more balls, accompanied with a noisy blend of electronics and well-packaged indie instrumental mainstays to fry our collective faces with. If there was a hitch it’s that at times it felt like the role of supporting act restricted them a bit – only as the set ended did we get to the properly skin-tingling levels of noise that the act deserved. Quibbles aside, these guys are still one of the best local bands, and ‘Ropes’ is as brilliant live as you would expect. More please!

But this was always going to be Stanley’s night. I waxed evangelical about how good Animals With Amazing Disguises was a few days ago, though afterwards I was a bit wary that I’d overestimated them little. Fortunately for all involved, it stands up to a live performance. There’s no major deviations from material they’ve already put out on record (a lack of brass section was only notable on the chorus of ‘Edit the Night’, and the absence didn’t do the performance any harm), so here’s what was to be learned from the gig. First and most importantly, it turns out that ‘the trashy casino’ is a real place and that it’s ‘just across the road’ from Snafu. Make of that what you will. Secondly, think that the electric double bass is too cool an idea to be true? Well, you’d be wrong. Thirdly, that Stephen Podlesney is confirmed for having the biggest lungs in the world. Like, wow. Everything you heard on Animals is still rumbling around inside his towering besuited frame (watch your head on the roofbeam mate!) with acres of room to spare. On top of all that, they’ve got some promising upcoming material, the highlight being titled ’40,000 Hz’ (I think), which features a synth last seen zipping around on Wilco’s ‘ I’m Always in Love’. In fact, all of the new stuff seemed to have a poppier sort of vibe to it. Coming from an already promising band, that’s something to get excited about. It’s a shame that the charitable revellers of all the other Oxjam events didn’t descend upon Snafu for the afterparty in time to witness it. That’s what happened at The Tunnels last year (though with the stellar Taco and the Sharpies on cram-the-stage-with-everything-you-can duty instead), and it was awesome way to see out a night of fantastic music. Still, the music was every bit as good this year – Oxjam is easily my highlight of the Aberdeen musical calendar.

Scott Reid

Cara Mitchell + Esperi + Margaret Finlayson – 11/10/12 @ The Tunnels

Posted on by

It’s difficult to efficiently categorise music nowadays. There are too many genres, sub-genres, mash-ups, quasi-fusions, re-interpretations… However, it’s hard to compare the phenomenon that is the voice backed by an acoustic guitar, with anything else. This simplest of formats allows for the most intricate melodies to shine through, and the most weighty lyrics to have impact. There’s nowhere to hide really.

Cara Mitchell, a young (like, depressingly young, she probably shouldn’t be allowed in most of the venues she’s playing) singer-songwriter from Aberdeen, has no intention of hiding. In the midst of a nation-spanning mini-tour, she already sounds like she knows exactly what she’s doing. There’s a distinctive, quite lovely voice; delicately melodic guitar work and – perhaps most impressively for someone of 16 years – a natural flair for song-writing. Not for nothing, she’s probably one of the most hyped talents in Aberdeen right now. With the pressure of headlining a venue like The Tunnels though, anything could potentially happen. Fortunately, except for a couple of sort-of-charming-but-nervous giggles between songs, she seemed quite at home.

The two supporting artists also did their job pretty convincingly. Firstly, the always impressive Margaret Finlayson did her thing with confidence and increasingly evident enjoyment. She has a sort of piercing but reassuring tone that is measured perfectly, letting her obvious love for melody permeate every song. With lyrical themes of jealousy, love and insecurity, she’s all you could want from a girl-with-a-guitar. From the opening strum of the ridiculously pleasant ‘The Warning’, there’s an authority in her voice that just grabs you. Newer jaunt ‘Never There’ suggests something of a progression, while the brooding ‘The Fear’ proves her versatility. Sure, it’s all a bit too perfect – there’s perhaps a little part of you that wants to see her kick over a mic stand or spew profanities at the audience, just so you can say she did something wrong – but there’s a lot to like about her. We’re all waiting for a headline gig.

The other support act, Esperi, is pretty much the opposite of a girl with a guitar. Intricate soundscapes are his thing. With his loop pedal, he builds and builds and builds, until there’s an almost post-rock wall of sound that is just immense. While he could end up sounding pretentious and boring, he somehow manages to make it all rather beautiful, and enormously affecting. Though there are countless instruments (seriously, I’m sure he’s invented most of them), there’s always an underlying sense of melody that maintains an emotional connection. Esperi is what experimental, boundary-pushing music should sound like. Maybe at times he decides to add something that doesn’t quite fit, or you don’t see the point of. But then he does something that just seems absolutely right. ‘Silo The Fire’, for example, doesn’t sound like a song as much as it sounds like a slab of emotion (oh wow that sounds cheesy). If you don’t ‘get’ it, then fair enough. But you can’t deny that it’s quite impressive.

Pity Cara Mitchell then, for having to follow what was essentially a one man symphony, armed only with her acoustic guitar. Thankfully, she more than held her own. There’s something of a shock as her small, clear voice first rings around the venue. It’s really quite arresting. While the support acts had to endure a smattering of noise coming from the back of the audience, every single eye and ear was trained directly on Cara Mitchell. You’ll be hard pushed to find another voice like it – sort of Ellie Goulding, but less airy. When it’s paired with her naturally expressive guitar work, it sounds amazing. There’s the occasional unorthodox inflection, or unexpected note that intrigues rather than jars. It’s not – or it doesn’t sound – too over-thought. There’s a real beauty when she hits a chorus and gives it some conviction.

The songs both are and aren’t what you’d expect from a 16 year old. She writes about cats. She writes about Facebook. She has a song called ‘Little Birdies’ for heavens’ sake. It could all be unbearably twee, but for the most part she isn’t so naïve as to make the lyrics obvious and generic. ‘Next October’ soars. ‘Have You Ever Wondered?’, the title track from her new E.P. is both refreshingly youthful and well considered. At times it maybe feels like there could be more of a connection between the voice and the song, but this can only improve naturally with time.  It’s clear that Cara Mitchell has incredible potential, and it’ll be interesting to see how she grows over the next few years. Aberdeen has a unique talent.

Find Margaret Finlayson on Facebook and Twitter.

Find Esperi on Facebook and Twitter.

Find Cara Mitchell on Facebook and Twitter. Her new E.P., Have You Ever Wondered, is available from various outlets, including Itunes.

Alan Henderson

Hard Rock Calling – Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band + John Fogarty + Lady Antebellum

Posted on by

Bruce Springsteen has been part of the soundtrack of my growing up and my parents’ musical education of me. So off went myself and various Springsteen loving family members with wellies and waterproofs to a very muddy Hyde Park for day two of Hard Rock Calling. Although a festival, it was very clear that we were all there for The Boss and The Boss only.

The first band we saw were Lady Antebellum who sufficiently entertained the crowd with their blend of angsty-soft-country-pop-rock, despite frontman Charles Kelley freely admitting they knew no one was really there to see them, but to wait patiently for the Boss. But nonetheless I was impressed by them. The songs were a little samey, but they were enjoyable to listen to.

Next on the bill was the grandfather of rock and roll: John Fogarty, the legend of the blues rock and swamp rock of the early sixties. First glimpse of The Boss came as he introduced what he described as one of his music inspirations and excitement swept through the crowd. Fogarty’s set was one of highs and lows. When he played hits such as “Proud Mary” and “Pretty Woman” we were having a grand old time, however some obscure stuff with improvisation was a little hard to take. But at the end our Bruce came on and they sang “Rocking All Over the World” together which was a brilliant moment for the crowd.

Then there was a rather long wait before “Bruuuuuuuuce” (as the fans call him at gigs) the man himself made his appearance to the adoring crowd. He began very simply with a beautiful stripped back version of ‘Thunder Road’, with just a piano accompaniment, which was a perfect start to the show. The one thing I must say about The Boss is that he comes across as the nicest guy ever known to man or woman. His interaction with the crowd went above and beyond the normal performance of a gig this size. It was touching how appreciative he seemed to the fans and it gave the gig an almost intimate feel, odd for being one of 80 000 in the crowd. The music was, of course, fantastic. He has been playing with the E Street Band since 1972 and it shows. All the musicians worked so well altogether. There was one particularly special moment: He pulled a sign from the crowd, written by a fan desperate to hear an obscure track and had been to 6 previous Springsteen gigs and not heard it. So they played it for him as if they had played it everyday for years.

They played a brilliant mixture of songs with special appearances from Tom Morello (of Rage Against the Machine fame) who played with them for a few tracks inlcuding ‘The Ghost of Tom Joad” which was played as a tribute to Woody Guthrie (folk/protest pioneer most famous for ‘This Land is Your Land) whose centenary it would have been that day, and another team up with John Fogarty. Personal highlight (if I have to pick one, the whole thing was fantastic) for me was probably ‘Dancing in the Dark’ – even though it was accompanied with ultimate pangs of jealousy as he picked out a girl from the crowd to dance with him. That girl was not me (I will not be ashamed to say I fancy the pants off Bruce Springsteen). There were also some lovely moments involving the sax player, nephew of the late Clarence Clemons, after whose death many questioned the continued touring success of Springsteen and the E Street Band as they are far more than just his backing band. So much happened that was so, so brilliant – there is simply not enough time or space to say it all here. His ability to mix the upbeat, jump-around tracks with the beautifully poignant (like ‘Jack of All Trades’, from the latest album) made it an almost perfect set.

Of course I must mention the appearance of Sir Paul McCartney, who joined him to play “I Saw Her Standing There” and “Twist and Shout”, which accompanied by fireworks made a brilliant finale. The gig was controversially cut short by the organisers as Bruuuuuce had played for almost three and half hours (which considering he and much of the band are in their 60s is really quite astounding) and therefore past the 10.30 curfew. This was a real shame since it had been such a wonderful, wonderful night and it just had not ended quite right. Despite this, I learnt The Boss is called that for a reason, and I suspect that was the best gig I will see for a very long time, since I do believe that both he and the wonderful E Street Band belong to that elite group of musicians that can be classed as legendary. And if I do ever see him again, I WILL be the girl he picks out of the crowd to Dance in the Dark with!

Holly Abbott

Kate McGill + Ross Buchanan + Margaret Finlayson + Rambler + Leanne Smith – 26/5/12

Posted on by

@TheTunnels

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

Losprophets + Modestep – 1/5/2012

Posted on by

@CambridgeCornExchange

Earlier this week I took a trip down memory lane and regressed to my fifteen year old self. Whilst I didn’t really have a proper angsty teenage stage I did in my mid teens discover Lostprophets, and I never looked back. The Welsh rockers have been around for donkey’s years now and having seen them live at various venues and festivals over the years I already knew what to expect. But there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind: am I too old for this now and perhaps more importantly are they?  So with their latest tour I decided to take the opportunity to see an old friend and fellow Lostprophets fangirl (a fan so dedicated she once jumped a security barrier to get a closer look…) to see if they still had it.

But firstly were the support band: Modestep. They turned out to be one of those bands I don’t expect very much of but turn out to brilliant. I asked my companion if she knew anything about their “dubstep”. Anyone who read my previous review will know my feelings on dubstep but they were really fantastic! A brilliant support band who got the crowd whipped up into frenzy with some wicked remixes and tunes of their own. Whilst I doubt I will ever buy a record from them I would not say no to another live show.

Then it was time for the main event and by this point I had definitely regressed back to my first ever encounter with them almost 5 years ago, standing right at the front and screaming like a loser. But what came on can only be described as initially a disappointment. They opened with ‘ Bring Em Down’ from their latest album Weapons and to be blunt it was not great. They looked old, as if the years were beginning to take their toll this is particularly true when placed in contrast to the youthful and vibrant Modestep. However, they soon switched to the old tunes such as ‘Can’t Catch Tomorrow’ and ‘Last Summer’ (a personal favourite) which gave a new lease of life to the boys and they returned to their usual brilliant energy. Anyone not moved by an entire room singing every word to ‘Rooftops’ and the iconic breakdown “screeeeam youuuurrr heeeeearrt oooouuuutt” has no soul. What a moment that always is. Faced with a devoted following that were not particularly interested in hearing the new material, the guys were clever enough to realise this and played a set of mainly the hits (which were awesome).

Overall I had a brilliant night, although how much that had to do with the band and how much it had to do with my reminiscence with an old friend is debatable. Either way I love Lostptophets but maybe as my dear friend said upon leaving “now is perhaps time to say goodbye to that phase of our lives”. So Lostprophets it’s been wonderful but keep doing what you are doing and you’ll be sure to always have a devoted following. But now you’ve guided me through my angsty teens it’s time for me to move on.

Holly Abbott