Barrowland Ballroom. Glasgow.
22nd December 2018

My night was curtailed by TK Max Berghaus walking boots. BLISTERS! I danced so much during The Medicine Men and Stanley Odd. Stanley Odd I had seen before on the festival circuit so I knew to expect good quality Scottish Hip Hop.. The Medicine Men I had nae seen before. Being a Spiritual Healer the name of the band intrigued me. An emerging talent that took Rock N Roll inspiration from Rush, progressive and captivating.creating in unison a very satisfying Progressive Rock/Funk groove. The perfect opener for the nights proceedings.

Indeed, the morning before the gig, I had freshly dyed my hair flame red, Brought a ten year cycle of Healing Development to a satisfying conclusion, shaped my eyebrows, crimped my lush red hair and spent some quality time doing my make up. When one has healed as deeply as this and one knows that this feeling in my heart a quiet celebration and my date with The Mustards at the Barrowland Ballroom gave me an added incentive to look fabulous. I had time to pop in to see Amisa Neonova before I walked into town for my bus to Glasgow, My boots had created a blister the day before so bought some plasters, hmm its a new boots kind of thing. So I placed plasters in the appropriate places and two pairs of socks. By the time I got to the bus stop the plasters were failing in preventing the blisters from hurting. It was nice to get on the bus my hip was nipping a bit too (Old age and growing pains). I meditated throughout my lovely bus ride. Holding the love in The Barrowland. The morning before whilst sending distant healing I had asked the Angels to ground the love and heal the hearts of the people attending in the Barrowland Ballroom. It worked. ❤ The place was Bouncing. However the walk from Buchannon street to The Barrowland, having only been there once before I had a vague idea of where I was heading, Divine disnae have a fancy phone so I had to use old skool tech knowledge and asked people directions to get to my destination. I wanted to be at the venue in time for The Medicine Men so had hastened my pace. This was not proving fitting for comfy walking.The Blisters were bringing tears to my eyes. The Barrowland Ballroom’s Brilliant neon sign flashing its multicoloured Glory, I joined the queue and picked up my AAA All Areas. Pass, put my coat in the cloakroom, had a burger and a can of juice and headed to the ballroom.

I hit the Ballroom dancef loor bang on 7.30pm. To be delighted by The Medicine Men, proving to be the perfect warm up for Stanley Odd. Who thrilled the increasingly filling Barrowlands. inbetween bands DJ5 mixed classic rave keeping musical momentum and driving my dancing feet wild. I boogied with Angela Jack for a while. By the time Colonel Mustard took to the stage my right foot was so sore it hurt to move it. So I flashed my AAA pass and took a comfy seat at the back of the Ballroom on the riser. It was a perfect vantage point.

Having followed the rise of Colonel Mustard And The Dijon 5 for a number of years now, this would prove to be the 2nd time I have seen them take the Barrowland by storm. Both times filling the place with their loyal Yellow Army, inbetween the two times I have witnessed the live spectacular, This band have notched up the air miles both creatively and physically. Taking the show to be a Headliner at The Edinburgh Hogmanay Street Party to headlining most of the Scottish festival circuit performing to increasingly bigger audiences. They have also taken the Yellow Movement to South Korea twice. So with a set of songs so well rehearsed, it would be impossible not to thrill the now capacity Ballroom fit to explode with anticipation of their heroes return. With DJ5’s opening banger The Dijon 5 took to the stage and the party went off.

The Mustards played their cannon beautifully, full of colour an inflatable bounciness, firing through all of their greatest songs. The Ballroom was full of Bouncing happy people singing along to all of the songs performed, word perfect. A testament to how greatly loved Colonel Mustard And The Dijon 5 are. This band of Angels donate a large proportion of Gig profits to worthwhile charities. Indeed a creative art performance spectacular that benefits all concerned. So it came as no surprise that they were inducted into The Barrowland Hall Of Fame last night. The audience went wild, the legendary sprung dance floor was bouncing. This was the ultimate feel good Gig, The 90 min performance time flew by but bye eck I’m glad I made the effort.

After the gig I was torn between the options of going to The Art School After Party or catching the 23.59 bus home. My blistered foot was dictating the flow. So I hobbled across Glasgow and got the bus back to Edinburgh. The boots are going back to TK Max.

5 Stars For the Performance.
0 stars For the Boots

Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert

Photography: Mundito

Royal Scottish National Orchestra

Glasgow Royal Concert Hall 

Saturday 24 November

To celebrate the Year of Young People, the RSNO performed a programme of  treats for what their celebrated conductor Thomas  Søndergård called “the young at heart”. Britten’s Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra is known to all classical musically minded families in its narrated version as entertaining but a wee bit didactic. But here we were given the original concert version and Britten’s brilliant orchestration of Purcell’s sea shanty theme an interpretation that was as scintillating as it was instructive. The full-bodied opening statement was followed by each section of the orchestra in turn playing variations on the theme to show off their timbre and range, before the whole was re-built with the finale’s great fugue. But that only describes the form. What the RSNO and their conductor gave us was Britten’s playful catalogue of the almost infinite number of possible textural combinations between percussion, timpani, woodwind,brass and strings, played with terrific clarity. It was like being given a grown up version of what was written for the young, without any loss of the fun it has engendered since its first performance in 1946.

“Open the Eastern Windows” by Michael Cryne, winner of the RSNO’s 17:18 Hub New Work commission is unlikely to enjoy such longevity. On first hearing at least, his composition had no apparent form or discernible logic. With nothing for the mind to latch on to during ten minutes of agreeable sounds apparently proceeding solely via shifts in volume and tonalities, its première was a disappointment.  And then on came two grand pianos which were nestled together like pieces of a jig-saw, and twins Christina and Michelle Naughton to play Poulenc’s Concerto for Two Pianos. The youthful and glamorous pair played the work with brilliance and enthusiasm, bringing out the exoticism and lyricism of the three contrasting movements, while the orchestra’s pleasure in performing this entertaining work with such sensitive interpreters of its shifting moods, was apparent.

Another première brought a complete contrast of mood in “Ghost Songs”, a specially commissioned work for the year of Young People, from Gary Carpenter. The RSNO’s Junior Chorus gave a wonderful account of his sensitive settings of four poems by Scots poet Marion Angus, R L Stevenson’s “On Some Ghostly Companions at a Spa” and the folk ballad “The Wee Wee Man”. The composer exploited the quality of the children’s singing – not only their remarkable musicianship and beautiful sound – but also their nimble articulation and willingness to engage with the mysterious, spooky, amusing verses they were singing. This new composition will get many an outing over the years to come because its composer matched his forces and materials to express the qualities of the texts, and in so doing created a memorable musical experience for audiences of any age.

Last but by no means least, the final treat on this evening of treats was Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint-Saëns.  Originally written only for a private concert, the composer tried to get it banned from public performance, fearing, rightly, that its popularity would eclipse, for all time, his more serious efforts. The evident pleasure the Naughton sisters showed, during their energetic commitment to every nuance of the score, more than doubled the fun for the audience. The required chamber-sized ensemble played every creature with serious wit and flair, and the double bass soloist in The Elephant and cello in The Swan were superb. For the RSNO and their conductor it must have been a treat to fill a programme with works they hoped would have their audience leaving the concert hall smiling; and it worked. One caveat: an afternoon rather than evening concert would have brought many more youngsters to hear, and be inspired by, their contemporaries in the RSNO Junior Chorus.

Mary Thomson

Royal Conservatoire Scotland
Glasgow
23rd November 2018

The first sight to greet us as we entered the Royal Conservatoire’s Stevenson Hall was a black grand piano, centre stage, with music stands and seats all ready for the day’s Friday’s at One performance. The Rembrandt Trio; Adelina Hasani (violin), Paul Uyterlinde (cello) and Fali Pavri (piano) came together in 2016, inspired by the interplay between light and dark as demonstrated by the Dutch Masters of the 17th century.

The three took their places in the large space with its stark bare brick walls, violin and cello to the front, and started gently plucking notes and chords, the cello’s tones deeply resonating with the piano and violin. It would be the music itself, without lyrics, which would present to us the concept of bringing Rembrandt to life through music – the ultimate goal of the performance. The programme consisted of Ravel’s Piano Trio in A Minor, written in 1914 and completed in a hurry, spurred on by the outbreak of the First World War and the composer’s intention to enlist in the army. This was followed by the world premier of a new work commissioned by the group, “Three Faces in the Crowd” by Rory Boyle.

The performance itself was full of contrasts – the light and dark – with the focus now on one, now on another of the trio as they expressed the various themes expressed in the music. We were treated to plenty of drama as well as sad, even despairing themes that were contained in the music. Returning also to very beautiful sounds that fell like autumn leaves echoing through our ears. The whole experience was somehow very atmospheric, helped by the wonderful acoustics of this, the RC’s main venue, as well as the visual impact of the men’s black suits contrasting with Adelina’s plush green and black ankle length gown.

The second part of the programme “Three Faces in the Crowd” was dedicated to Rembrandt’s famous painting “The Night Watch” (1642), which was projected on the large screen at the back, adding another element of excitement. Composer Rory found this painting to be the “ultimate” crowd scene and this was reflected in the music as it explored three of the characters who were part of the large crowd. This concept was rather endearing and I found myself wondering what these individuals might have been thinking at that moment. The whole composition worked wonderfully well as a piece of storytelling, delivered to a very relaxed audience.

This show was a treat for the ears – packed with drama, virtuosity and sheer heart, which could not fail to move and inspire its audience. And all achieved and accomplished within the space of an hour on a Friday lunchtime.

Daniel Donnelly

The Royal Concert Hall Glasgow.
Tuesday 20th November

They say good things come in threes, having caught Savage Part 1 at the ABC in Glasgow last Autumn, it was clear that Mr Numan had grown too big for smaller venues, it was crammed to the rafters, I wasnae in particularly fine fetal. Having just dashed from the cinema from seeing Bladerunner 2. It was so the wrong thing to do. I was in a relationship that was ending and Savage part 1, kinda finished it.

So when the Savage part 2 dates were released and The Assembly Rooms in Edinburgh was one of them. I knew a review was in order. It was a very cold March night. I had managed to get a Review pass and without a troublesome relationship weighing me down, I got into the Savage flow. Had a brilliant boogie but didn’t think the venue did the performance justice.

So when The Orchestral Savage Dates were released I was non-fussed because I thought that he had said all he could do with Savage. I kinda decided that I was nae gonna do Savage Part 3. Then came into a bit of unexpected money, So when two surplus tickets went up on a Numan FB thing, I snapped them up, two for £40. Amisa Neonova had been telling me all year how much she wanted to see Numan. So this was the opportunity. Indeed it was fantastic.

We took our seats, Block C, was to the side, with a perfect view of the stage, In front of a curtain Christopher Payne who happens to have been part of Numans original band playing synths and violin. accompanied by his wife. Showed us why he is a band member and not a lead man, at times he looked bored and more than a little uncomfortable that his lap top was doing all the work and that he had very little to do. Even looking at his watch to see how much longer he had left. It was a reasonable support act though. His rendition of Fade To Grey by Visage, Chris was part of Visage too and along with Billy Currie was credited with its creation, Albeit without a male vocal, with wifey doing the French girl bits. When Chris engaged the audience in clapping, it got a bit cringesome. 3 Stars for the Support.

With Glasgow being the last night of the Orchestral Tour, I knew that this was going to be a good one. Having sold out The Royal Albert Hall the night before, The Orchestra and band were perfectly warmed up. Numan has always suited a bigger stage and he does like to put on a spectacular show, The Orchestral Savage are the largest venues he has done since his Wembley Performances in the 80’s.

Now Numan with an Orchestra, And yes it did work so very well, from the moment the curtain dropped, the packed Royal Concert Hall became fully engaged in the delight that was unfolding. The orchestra comprised of strings and a glockenspiel brilliantly conducted by Simon Robertshaw. The Skaparis Orchestra with Numans touring band of 25 years, together they recreated a fine selection of Numan classics both old and new.

I am pretty sure that everyone who experienced Savage Part 3 would agree that The Skaparis Orchestra brought a much needed musical depth to the songs I have heard performed many times, The most beautiful part was seeing just how much delight they were taking from their art. The light show and stage presentation was just brilliant From early classics. Metal, Films, AFE, Down In The Park. The middle period “My Breathing” A song about his disappointment at the BBC for refusing to play his songs on the radio. It took me back in time to the olden days and was delighted with the orchestral string treatment, His daughter Persia taking the girl vocal parts in her stride and of course her vocal parts in “My Name Is Ruin” were nothing less than fantastic. The perfect Proud Dad and Daughter moments ❤ It was the perfect concert and indeed it was third time lucky, Savage Part Three worked on so many different levels. It was nothing less than 5 Star Entertainment.

Last night Gary Numan shifted his game up a gear or two, something very special is brewing. Gary Numan And Skaparis Orchestra took his work to a whole new different level and as a long time fan, I am so so glad I experienced lasts nights performance, Really! It was that good.

Reviewer: Mark ‘Divine’ Calvert
Photography: David Anderson

On discovering that Gaelic was sung in Galloway,  Knockengorroch organiser, Katch Holmes, felt inspired. The Mumble caught her for a wee blether…

Hello Katch, so where are you from & where are you at, geographically speaking?
Katch: I was born in Dumfries and brought up at Knockengorroch. I live in Edinburgh now though am in Galloway often.

Many people both in Scotland & further afield know you through the Knockengorroch Festival, Can you tell us about it?
Katch: It takes places annually at the end of May in a beautiful location at Knockengorroch – which is the site of an ancient settlement nestled by the river Deugh at the foot of Cairnsmore of Carsphairn. Its probably one of the most upland locations for a festival in the UK. We feature traditional and roots music and art from around the
world and also a great emphasis on the environment and heritage of the area.

You’ve taken over the running operation from your parents – do they still get involved?
Katch: My whole family are all involved in the festival in some capacity still. My father, who researches the history of the area, provides the historical grounding to the event, including the way the site is designed e.g. the Longhouse build and the names of the venues. My mother deals with most production and legal issues as well as some
programming and marketing.

You’ve got three famous performers from history coming to play at Knocky next year. Who would they be?
Katch: Joni Mitchell, Tracy Chapman, Bob Marley.

What does Katch Holmes like to do when she’s kicking back?
Katch: Walks in beautiful places with family, dance and yoga.

In 2012 you became a Clore Cultural Leadership fellow – can you tell us about this?
Katch: This was a great opportunity which allowed me to spend a year or so developing skills relating to cultural leadership. I completed a secondment with Serious, who run the London Jazz Festival in London and work with some of the top international artists, amongst other things, and went to research folk music and participation at
SOAS university as well as travel to the Western Saharawi refugee camps in Algeria to research how their music bonded their community and identity under occupation. I learnt a lot and gained courage to strike out on my own path following the programme.

Can you tell us about the Oran Bagraidh residency & its goals?
Katch:  The project had two main goals: one to raise awareness of a neglected part of Scotland’s history – that of South West Scotland, through arranging and recording the Galloway Gaelic Oran Bagraidh song – a fascinating and vital snippet of our past – and bringing in some incredible artists from across these islands to do so. The other goal was to celebrate the diversity that provides the roots for these islands. We have always been multi-lingual, with waves of people passing through and settling throughout history. This wonderful process of migration and mingling continues today and should be celebrated. The project involved Welsh, Scottish Gaelic, Irish Gaelic, Scots and English – all languages that were spoken across South West Scotland, concurrently and for hundreds
of years.

How did the idea come about, & how long has it taken to bring to fruition?
Katch: I found out by accident that Gaelic was spoken across Galloway. It didn’t take much research to find out about Oran Bagraidh. I then discovered that my dad had in fact discovered this song in 1999, had had it performed at Knockengorroch that same year, and had since spent a lot of time and energy in investigating every aspect of the
poem. It turned out his opinions were fascinating and complex and also controversial – and this obviously piqued my interest further! I wanted to bring a wider attention to the piece and involve artists in its treatment as I felt up until then, apart from my father, it had been mainly academics who had spent any time on it. I first had the idea around 2 years ago, applied for funding and the rest is history!

Which artists attended the residency?
Katch: Josie Duncan, Lorcán Mac Mathúna, Doimnic Mac Giolla Bhríde, Barnaby Brown, MacGillivray, Gwyneth Glyn, Bragod. Rody Gorman, Conor Caldwell and Ben Seal

The first single has just been released, why did you select this one?
Katch: This is the Oran Bagraidh – it’s the title single from the project. The song. It had to be this one.

The album is out in February – how is this sounding at the moment, & can you tell us about its sonic tapestry? 
Katch: The album is an incredibly diverse piece of work. I love it. It moves from ancient medieval type trance to cross Scots/ Irish Gaelic traditional to acapella Welsh/ Irish/ Gaelic to spoken word, gothic dream pop and electronic soundscapes. It covers 5 languages and 15 centuries!

Will there be an Oran Bagraidh in 2019?
Katch: The Oran Bagraidh collaboration will be touring in 2019. We will launch the album at Celtic Connections on February 2 and play Knockengorroch on 26 May (you heard it here first) then move onto Wales and Ireland. I hope that starting this project will lead to a much wider appreciation and interest in this song and indeed Galloway’s history more generally. It would be great if we could find another version of the song somewhere as this might help us understand what it means and what time it is from.

www.oranbagraidh.com

Speigel Tent
Paisley Spree Festival
October 16th 2018

It was a great pleasure to be back at the Paisley Spree’s best venue, the fabulous Spiegel tent. A circular, swirling, special space with a spectacular stage surrounded by mirrors (hence the name), and with a great view from any perspective. The stage was set with instruments standing ready to be played, making the period of suspense as we waited for the music to start all the more potent.

Callum Ingram is a Paisley born musician trained on the cello and is known for mixing a wide variety of musical genres. Sitting down with his electric cello, he took the room by storm with highly charged vocals, the lyrics and melody strongly influenced by blues tradition. But his talent far extends beyond just one simple musical genre, including at one point a sound similar to the sitar. Having got us in the mood quite beautifully, his music introduced the main act for the evening with passion and a great deal of enthusiasm – Vieux Farka Toure from Mali, often referred to as the ‘Hendrix of the Sahara.’

Vieux sat down with a guitar and a mic and proved instantly that power in music does not always come with numbers. In fact, his musical grace somehow pulled us in to a far greater degree than more lively music could have. As he began to sing in sync with his guitar, I found myself listening to music that I had only ever heard in recordings, and like everyone in the room, was mesmerised and filled with awe and respect. His African lyrics brought a style with them that his melodies translated into something that was free for all to understand. This performance was pure, joyful entertainment.

We could hear multiple genres in each of his masterful nuances. Entwining them and using them to tell stories the highs and lows of his life experiences, understood in the universality of music. There was something pure and wise streaming from his fingers as they moved up and down the neck of his guitar. Later, he brought Calum back on stage and the two musicians jammed together, blending their instruments in a masterly way to fill the space with ever more intriguing melodies and new musical insights. They smiled in appreciation of each other’s skill.

It was wonderful to walk into that famous tent to a warm welcome and an enticing evening; to be surrounded by music at its most meaningful and universal; to be glued to your seat by the sheer virtuosity on display. If you ever get the chance to go and see Vieux or Callum live, take it, you won’t regret it.

Daniel Donnelly

Edinburgh Playhouse
08-10-18

In 2012 I saw the Stone Roses play at Heaton Park, Manchester. It was a wonderful experience, emotional really – finally, one of my favorite bands in the flesh. Somehow, I felt the exact same sensations yesterday at the Playhouse, when 4 talented young musicians replicated most meticulously what the Beatles would have sounded like. Here was had Ben Cullingworth as a bang-on Ringo, Michael Bramwell as John, Emanuelle Angeletti as a head-bobbing Paul & John Brosnan as George.

This is the second incarnation of the Let It Be touring show, which includes a post-interval section set at John Lennons’ 40th mythical birthday get together in 1980, when the lads jam through some of their solo work. All in all dozens of classic songs were played immaculately , a key plus to all this was the hearing some of their later music live – the Beatles had initially quit touring after their momentous gig at San Francisco’s Candlestick Park in 1966, the height of Beatlemania. No-one could hear a note over all the screaming. They began recording some killer albums, & apart from a gig on a London rooftop in 1969, that was it for live concerts.

To see some of Sergeant Peppers being played by the Let it Be company is worth the entrance fee alone. Meticulous costume work, sublime & visual treats & incredible musicianship create the perfect illusion. Despite George Martin’s profundity for overdubs & orchestras, the arrival of keyboard wizard (I didn’t catch his name) replicated everything perfectly. It wasn’t flawless – George Harrison’s accent, for example – but pretty damn close; all the instruments were played live, while the four tvs beamed love footage of the gig, or of concert crowds from the 60s & even adverts between set changes. I cannot praise Let It Be highly enough – what a cracker, & to see an entire auditorium on their feet singing Hey Jude was an even greater spectacle than the brilliant show I’d been completely immersed in for two & a half hours.

Damo

Royal Conservatoire of Scotland

Thursday 27^th Sept 2018

This Gamelan and Piano concert was chock-a-block full of treats. Here are four for starters; the celebratory atmosphere of a student’s final event; the attraction of the gamelan instruments themselves, before a note was even played; the professionalism of Wilson Chu (he should run a masterclass on how to receive and respond to applause), and the variety the programme packed into one hour.

Gamelan music, with its ancient origins, comes from Indonesia and is played on an orchestra of metallophones and gongs. It has a characteristically shimmery sound, as the instruments are tuned in order that the harmonics produced should jostle and dance against each other, this effect being called ‘ombak’.  If that sounds quite exotic, it is, but what surprised me was what a welcoming sound world the gamelan proved to be, with several styles sounding perfectly at home beside it.  I was even reminded of some Scottish traditional music (e.g. ‘The Joy of It’ by Catriona MacDonald), and of Debussy (not surprising, he was one of the many classical composers to love and be influenced by the gamelan). The gamelan-inspired piano pieces worked extremely well, and were tuneful, lyrical and sometimes flamboyant. These pieces for solo piano i.e. Tembang Alit, by Jaya Suprana, Java Suite by Leopold Godowsky, and Chu’s own Paraphrase on a Javanese Theme should be widely played.

The prepared piano piece by John Cage introduced wit and humour, as the preparations acted like a costume for the piano, so that it could play a new role alongside the gamelan with the help of many unusual timbres. You can judge for yourself what the finished effect was, but I thought it was glorious. The addition of voices allowed for what was the highlight of the evening for me, as the voices were left solo chanting a rapid motif, one of the deeper gongs came in with the drama we associated with gongs, but a lot of playfulness as well. By the last two pieces it was as if the gamelan instruments had really woken up, there was rather a lack of volume of the shimmering sonorities previously mentioned prior to that, and rather a lot of drum. But the last two pieces, by Wilson Chu and the leader of Gamelan Naga Mas, J. Simon van der Walt were a fitting dramatic and musical climax to a wonderful evening of music. Now listen again to the wonderful music of Wilson Chu and the Gamelan Naga Mas, and wish him well in the future, as do I.

Catherine Eunson