Chvrches

The Corn Exchange, Edinburgh 05th Nov 2014

CHVRCHES

Wiki says - Chvrches (pronounced as "churches" and stylised as CHVRCHΞS) are a Scottish electronic band, formed in 2011. They chose the name Chvrches, using a Roman "v" to avoid confusions with actual churches on internet searches. The group consists of Lauren Mayberry (lead vocals, additional synthesisers, and samplers), Iain Cook (synthesisers, guitar, bass, vocals), and Martin Doherty (synthesisers, samplers, vocals).  

Chvrches at The Corn Exchange Nov 2014

I have heard and liked much of their music, but was never enamoured enough to seek out the CD or vinyl, preferring to download the The Bones of What You Believe digital album last year. However, I recently saw some live footage of them performing 'We Sink' and 'Under The Tide', and was impressed enough to seek out tickets for this, their current tour. Arriving early enough to take up a coveted spot in the mosh-pit against the crowd barrier, I prepared myself for Chvrches.

Too many laser lights can be bad for your health

Two things struck me immediately as the trio took to the stage - the light-show was definitely going to be amazing, and the volume was turned up to 11 at least. I've never seen so many sychronised lasers and the last time I felt my entrails in such perfect synch with the bass was when I saw John Entwistle's Ox in the Edinburgh Student Health Centre in 1970-something.

"We’re a band called Chvrches," announced singer Lauren Mayberry, with a grin. "Thank you for coming to see our show" and they kicked off the set.

Iain Cook and Martin Doherty accompanied the bitter sweet voice of Lauren Mayberry with the powerful, bass-driven synth melodies on 'We Sink' and 'Lies' - the show's two opening tracks. The lights and sounds stunned the crowd as Mayberry danced centre-stage with the microphone cable wrapped around her hands, occasionally using it as a lasso swirling above her head. Her stage presence was relaxed and confident, unlike some live footage I'd previously seen. 

With the first 3 or 4 tracks under their belts, Mayberry took a minute of two to chat to the crowd. 'This is the first time we've played Edinburgh in ages' she said, 'couple of years I think'. Cook gently reminded her that they'd played the Hogmanay gig in Princes Street Gardens last year. 'Oh yeah' she went on '...well our first proper venue gig in ages'. 

Two wee lassies at the front in Pink Rabbit onesy's were singled out by Mayberry, much to their delight. "What are you wearing?" she enquired, before saying "Well I'm not judging - if it wasn't so hot up here I might wear a onesy myself"

She pulled out her earpieces and started  some banter with the crowd but she couldn't really hear the responses, so she said "OK, I'm going to put these back in my ears so that we don't get into a complex situation where you think I'm ignoring you and I can't hear what you're saying, and all that good stuff". Her relaxed confident style, and little asides from Cook and Doherty suggest that they have all benefited stage-wise from their recent extensive touring. 

'Recover' was a real high volume, synthesiser powered anthem, but I feel that it is Mayberry's sweet, endearingly fragile vocals that make the song special, and in general where Chvurches' appeal lies. 

Having said that, one of the highlights of the show for me was 'Under the Tide' where synth player Martin Doherty took over lead vocals and provided us with some energetic (and unusual) dancing that got every single person in the hall moving along with him. 

Mayberry: "When I was young I always wanted to be a backing vocalist. I used to watch Top Of The Pops and study all those cool hand movements, plus not getting recognised in the street. I could have been one of Gabrielle's backing vocalists. Anyway, if this all goes to rats, I could still have a career as a keyboard playing backing vocalist."

The crowd were enthusiastic throughout, but they really got into their stride, singing and bouncing to the big signature tracks like Recover and The Mother We Share. The latter of which was their final song. The trio clapped the crowd and headed off stage. 

Things began to get pretty hectic in the mosh-pit as youngsters jostled to get closer for the expected encores, so I headed to the back of the hall. Partly to avoid being crushed by the devotees, but also to give my ears a well deserved recovery period from the volume. 

The band returned to slow things down a little with You Caught the Light, followed by the more upbeat crowd pleasers 'Dead Air' and 'By the Throat'.

Good gig, but I really felt that the sound quality suffered at the hands of the volume. 

I thought perhaps it was my position right at the front, but after retiring to a safer distance, it was exactly the same. Most of the vocals were kinda buzzy, affected by the very high bass level. Kinda like you might get if your home hi-fi speakers were not quite up the specification of your amplifier, but you insisted on turning it up full anyway. Just distortion. Not all the time, but it was apparent on almost every song.

Chvrches still delivered a very memorable set, and I think are destined for great things.

-- Setlist --

We Sink 

Lies 

Lungs 

Gun 

Night Sky 

Get Away (new)

Recover 

Science/Visions 

Tether 

Under the Tide 

The Mother We Share 

-- Encore --

You Caught the Light 

Dead Air 

By the Throat 

Lizzo

I knew nothing of Melissa Jefferson, better known by her stage name Lizzo, before this gig. According to Wiki, she is an American alternative hip hop artist who moved from Detroit to Houston, then finally to Minneapolis in 2011. She is a founding member of indie hip hop groups The Chalice, Grrrl Prty, The Clerb, and Absynthe. Her debut album, Lizzobangers, was released in 2013. 

BiG GRRRL SMaLL WoRLd tour

Wearing a massive blonde curly wig (or was that her own barnet?), and backed by Sophia Eris on decks, beats and loops, she stirred up the crowd. She had a pretty good voice when she sang, but most of the songs weren't sung. She rapped a lot and used the F-word a lot. 

She changed the lyrics of 'Paris' to incorporate the words 'Kilt, Edinburgh (instead of Paris) and bagpipes'. Firing off confetti cannon, distributing balloons into the audience and getting one young guy (Peter from Glasgow) up on stage to 'twerk' with her and win a coveted "Lizzo Made Me Do It" t-shirt, her set was good fun.

She even had the crowd teaching her how to pronounce Edinburgh correctly, rather than the traditional US pronunciation "Edin-Bo-Row"

Her music was not something I would have normally chosen to listen to, but this was an entertaining support set.

-- Setlist --

Turn Down for What (DJ Snake & Lil Jon cover)
Bus Passes and Happy Meals 
New Eyes (Clean Bandit collaboration/cover)
Paris
Batches & Cookies (feat. Sophia Eris)
Faded 

Edwyn Collins and Grace Maxwell

Filmhouse, Edinburgh - 03rd November 2014

The Possibilities Are Endless

I've been a fan of Edwyn Collins since the days of Orange Juice and Postcard Records.  I have seen him live about 7 times over the years, and followed his career with interest. So I jumped at the opportunity to attend this rather special film premiere.  

On February 20, 2005, Edwyn Collins collapsed at home while suffering from a major brain haemorrhage. To put it very bluntly, that could all too easily have been the end of him. It would have drawn the curtain on the fascinating, distinctive career of a singer and songwriter, initially part of Scottish pop-soul originals Orange Juice, and then as a well respected solo artist.


But it didn’t. Collins was rushed to hospital and suffered a second haemorrhage. He was kept in intensive care for weeks, his life hanging in the balance. But despite the strokes and contracting a hospital acquired MRSA infection, he survived. Afterwards, the effects were devastating: he couldn’t move without assistance, couldn’t read, write or even speak without great difficulty. His memory of his own career and songs was virtually non-existent. But he did have the unfailing love and support of his wife and manager, Grace Maxwell. Within two years, he was speaking, reading, writing, recording and playing live again. That’s not to say the haemorrhage hasn’t left its mark. But he did it. And The Possibilities are Endless is the story of how he did it.

When he did come round some time later, he was able to say only four things: “yes”, “no”, “Grace Maxwell” (his wife’s name) and “the possibilities are endless”. 

“It sounds profound,” said Grace in the post-film Q&A chat "but when you've heard it 85 times in a day, it seems slightly less so.” Big smiles from Edwyn and Grace at this point.

This was the pre-release premiere of James Hall and Edward Lovelace's remarkable film documenting Edwyn's recovery through video footage, stark symbology and the narration by Edwyn and Grace. The viewing of the film was followed by a question and answer session with Grace, Edwyn and Ed Lovelace and then an acoustic session with Edwyn and David Page. 

Ed Lovelace, Grace and Edwyn answer audience questions

Essentially, the film is in three sections, mirroring the three stages that Collins went through. The first third is almost entirely abstract and expressionistic. The film begins with long sweeping shots of isolated landscapes, and then cuts to a clip of Edwyn and his band (Paul Cook on drums, Clare Kenny on bass, Steve Skinner on guitar) performing A Girl Like You, followed by a short interview in which Edwyn is at his most entertaining, on the Conan O'Brien show in 1995.

Sudden cut to complete blackness,  which lasted 10 seconds or so, signifying the brain hemorrhages.  What follows is a steady stream of images of landscapes and nature – particularly of water – plus a few unknown, nonspeaking figures popping up. Over this, there’s evocative incidental music composed by Collins especially for the film, and audio of Collins and Maxwell talking about the terrifying experience of his haemorrhage. But they’re not really describing it as such. They’re talking about how it felt. At no point are the exact details of Collins’s ordeal spelled out. It’s almost like some experimental, illustrated radio play. Viewers could feel unsettled and lost, but it’s nothing to what Collins himself must have gone through. It’s a strange, and very captivating portrayal of a frankly unimaginable ordeal.

Next we’re on to his release from hospital and slow struggle with his condition. Here, things get a bit more tricksy and inventive. Collins and Maxwell are seen back at home, quietly trying to piece their lives, and Collins’s health, back together. But evidently they’re re-enacting these trying moments from a few years ago, which strikes an odd chord. It can be powerful stuff, though, particularly when we see Collins watching clips of his younger pop star self without a flicker of recognition on his face, only bewilderment.


There’s also some filling in of the couple’s back story, with their teenage son, William, appearing in footage as a younger Collins, and Yasmin Paige (of Submarine fame) as young Maxwell. There’s no dialogue though, just a few evocative moving scenes touching on their courtship. Obviously it is a difficult part of the story to convey successfully, but in among so much that’s homespun and organic and genuine, this slightly gauche fabrication does jar a tad. It’s probably the only slight stumble in the whole film.

The final section is on surer ground. The presentation opens up, with Collins and Maxwell shown in snatched, unstaged moments, as he gingerly resumes his recording and performing career. He’s back in action, in his element, surrounded by banks of guitars, studio equipment, adoring audiences – and Maxwell. Wrapped in a duffle-coat, walking with a cane, he becomes a genuinely, unexpectedly heroic figure.

In his youth, Collins was so witty and eloquent that it’s heart-wrenching to see him defeated by language. The phrase deployed as the film’s title was, in fact, one of the very few things, other than Maxwell’s name, that he could say in the immediate aftermath of his hospitalisation. But in time he overcomes this, and towards the end he’s laughing and teasing young William, and mock-bickering with Maxwell (she takes his ‘Sharon Osbourne’ jibe surprisingly well).


Plus, his current, hesitant, round-about mode of expression often hits the nail squarely on the head. For instance, he compares, with awesome honesty, his old and new selves: “Possibly, before my stroke, I was a bit too focused. No, no – I was nice, don’t get me wrong. But I was arrogant, in a way. I’m over that phase.” Or, on the changing nature of love: “Back then, love was lust. Loving is sometimes complex. Nowadays, love is real.” Would that we all had such devastating insight. On a lighter note, Collins’s deep, irrepressible chuckle, which is heard more and more as the film goes on,  is absolutely uplifting, too. His ability to sing much more fluently than speak, was according to Edwyn, a very welcome surprise. 

Grace and Edwyn share a joke en-route to Helmsdale

Really, it’s a highly unconventional love story, about Collins being nurtured and saved by Maxwell – but it’s very far from lovey-dovey and sickly sweet, thank heavens. It’s never over-egged, but the dialogue between them, whether it’s spoken or not, is what drives the whole thing. Maxwell, incidentally, has already told her side of this story in her 2009 book Falling and Laughing, which surely helped to inspire the film, but which takes a much more conventional route.

The post film acoustic session was a beautiful finish to the evening. And if, after all he’s been through, you can get through the performance of his song "Home Again" without a tear, frankly you're made of sterner stuff then me.

Had the opportunity to chat to Grace and Edwyn after the event, where Edwyn signed my brand new copy of the Possibilities OST album, slowly and meticulous adding his moniker to the sleeve. I suggested that as the new studio in Helmsdale took shape there would be less and less need for them both to travel to and from London. Would this be an end to Edwyn's travel twitter musings I wondered? Grace laughed and said "Not likely, that will continue I am sure, but I have to admit that Edwyn's constant need for wi-fi password assistance in hotels and on trains will be a blessing." Edwyn gives her a lopsided grin. "It's the first thing he does when he wakes up" said Grace "what's the password? "

The good humoured banter between them sealed for me, a lovely and quite emotional evening. 

 I do think that the film posters should really say "Starring Edwyn Collins and Grace Maxwell" though.

Lucius

Whelan's, Wexford Street, Dublin - 25th October 2014
(Great little venue - take the virtual tour here)

Lucius

Genevieve - intro

I was first introduced to Lucius by Jools Holland's "Later" TV programme on April 22nd this year. I had tuned in specifically to listen to Paolo Nutini but was a little underwhelmed by his live performances on the show. In contrast, I was completely blown away by the two identically dressed girls and the three guys who performed "Go Home" and "Turn It Around". I immediately looked online - "if they were on Jools, they must be on a UK tour" I thought. I was right, but I'd just missed them. They had played Stereo in Glasgow on the 20th April! Then they were off on a US-wide tour for 5-6 months. In fact it seems that they've been touring for about 20 months with little respite, so when I saw the Dublin gig pop up on Songkick I think I might have purchased the very first tickets.

Whelan's was completely sold out (just over 400 people) and the packed crowd had obviously enjoyed the support Lapland (see below) but were eager to see the main act. They didn't have too long to wait as Peter Lalish (guitar), Andrew Burri (guitar and percussion) and drummer Dan Molad took to the small stage to loud cheers. Peter laid down the guitar melody while Andrew and Dan started the unmistakable percussion intro to Genevieve. 
Jess Wolfe and Holly Laessig then came on stage in matching red outfits and blonde bobs, to even louder cheers, and added to the drumbeats, before launching into their trademark powerful harmonies "ooh wa-wa, ooh wa-a". This is the band's standard live opener and it sounded quite different from the recorded version on the "Wildewoman" LP - much more explosive and really tight soaring vocals. They ended the track on a glorious Lalish guitar riff and sudden combined drum crash. Silence, for about 5 milliseconds, and the crowd went wild. This was going to be good, I just knew!

Jess tends to be the chatty one on stage and she shouted out "Hi Dublin - great to be back here" (Lucius played The Workman's Club in April 2014). The vocal crowd responded with big cheers.

Photo courtesy of Maja Smiejkowska

Tempest was the next track - a long intro and some glorious closing harmonies from all five of the band. Followed by Don't Just Sit There which heralded the start of the crowd singalong participation. 

Wildewoman, the title track from their debut LP was notable for the falsetto male harmonies, some wonderful guitar from both Lalish and Burri and more audience contribution to the vocals.

The band rattled through the rest of the album, with obvious enjoyment of the appreciative Dublin crowd. The live versions were just so powerful with much more energy than I remembered from the digital/vinyl versions. One of the highlight moments was a truly epic version of "Go Home" where Jess asked "Do you guys know all the words?" and holding microphones out, she and Holly allowed the audience to sing almost all the choruses and some verses.

Crowd singing almost drowns out Jess and Holly

There is no doubt that Jess and Holly are the main focus of attention on stage, and genuinely connect with the audience, whether they are on keyboards, drums or vocals (impressively, occasionally all three) and the 3 chaps kinda stay out of the limelight, but from the first time I heard Go Home I was really impressed with Lalish and Burri's guitar sound. Never overbearing, never drowning out the others with the guitar hero thing, they just add such sublime layers and beautiful riffs that complement the vocals. I also had not realised, from listening to the album, what a driving force Dan was on the drums. In a live environment I suddenly understood how much of the band's appeal comes from his percussive rhythms. 

Jess and Holly suddenly produced pint glasses of Guinness (I think they were offered by crowd at the front) and to the delight of the onlookers, proceeded to down a good quantity of each pint. They probably needed fluids, they'd already finished the water bottles distributed on stage, and the heat in Whelan's was intense. "We're feeling your sweat up here" Jess explained.

After an excellent rocking version of Nobody Knows How Loud Your Heart Aches and Hey Doreen, the girls took front stage and using a single retro looking dual microphone they performed Wonderful (a My Morning Jacket cover) and Monsters - both slow-tempo numbers that emphasised the quality of the harmonies and unison vocals.

Slowing things down a little

Back into full blown action the band then performed Turn It Around, everyone participating on vocals ... which then morphed into a couple of verses and chorus of the Whitney Houston song I Wanna Dance with Somebody.. end of the first set.

The audience wanted and expected more, and made a huge amount of noise. Clapping and cheering to start, and then chanting "One more tune, one more tune" until of course the band came back. Lucius genuinely looked like they were having fun and didn't want to stop yet.

Jess quietened the audience and said "OK, we're going to do a couple of numbers without mikes so you'll have to be a little quiet" and she and Holly jumped down off the stage, followed by the chaps armed with acoustic guitars and a single drum. They wormed their way into the centre of the crowd and formed a small circle. This was obviously a well rehearsed move, but it didn't fail to impress all the same, as they launched into a beautiful, poignant The Two Of Us On The Run. This was sublime stuff, and they were so confident in amongst the rough and tumble of the crowd.

When they managed to quiet the crowd down again after this first encore, Jess said "Thank you so much Dublin. After being on the road for nearly 2 years, this is exactly what we needed - we love you guys." 

They followed this with a Kinks cover 'Strangers'. Again heart-searchingly beautiful harmonies, lovely duelling guitars and containing the appropriate lyrics "we are not two, we are one". 

The band then gave their thanks to crowd, and while receiving kisses and claps on the back, they made their way, not back to the stage but off to the left where there was a raised area with a hastily constructed merchandise stand. There they stayed for another 20-30 minutes, signing album covers, posters, t-shirts and generally chatting with the adoring punters. 

This was a gig that I will remember for a LONG time. 

--- Setlist ---
Genevieve
Tempest
Don't Just Sit There 
Wildewoman
Nothing Ordinary
Go Home
Until We Get There 
Nobody Knows How Loud Your Heart Aches
Hey Doreen
Wonderful  (My Morning Jacket cover)
Monsters
Turn it around
I Wanna Dance with Somebody  (Whitney Houston cover)

--- Encore --- Acoustic in middle of crowd.... 
The Two Of Us On The Run 
Strangers (Kinks cover) 

The support was: 

Lapland

Lapland is the pet project of Josh Mease (orginally from Texas, but now hailing from Brooklyn, NY, where the Lucius connection came about). The self-titled album was released earlier this year and when touring relatively locally in the US, Lapland are a 4-piece band. On this occasion it's Josh Mease on his own ("too expensive to tour as support with full band" Josh explains).

Lapland - Josh Mease

Josh engaged well with the swelling crowd, introducing the songs as "this is a country song", or "this is make-out song" and most strangely "Anybody here affected by asthma? Well this is a song about asthma" Metal Lungs.

His guitar playing was excellent and he also made good use of loop-pedals to accompany himself both with guitar and vocals for several songs. The overall feel and sound, initially sparse with just Josh on guitar, grew to sound like a full band with backing vocals as the set progressed. I was impressed enough to go buy the CD from the man himself after the show. Sample some of the tracks from Lapland here 

There was the carnival-esque atmosphere of “Memory, the jazzy shuffle of “Overboard” combines melancholy, minor-key verses with a breezy, harmony-filled chorus, while “Aeroplane” and “Fountains,” both feature 3/4 waltz time signatures. “Metal Lungs” rambles along with a chugging rhythm, twangy guitars and a catchy chorus, and standout track “Where Did It Go” ups the level of looped backing to semi-band levels.

The overall impression was of songs composed with great care and attention, initially sounding a little superficial, but with deeper introspective tones. Imagine Prefab Sprout meets Fleetwood Mac (from their Rumours days) and you'll be fairly close.



--- Setlist --- (needs some work)
Unwise
Drink Me Dry
Make out song ?
Memory
Metal Lungs
Medley - Overboard, Aeroplane, Fountains?
Where did it go

Dan Croll

The Liquid Room, Edinburgh - 17th October 2014

Dan Croll

My initial introduction to Dan Croll was one of those "listen to this fabulous new artist" emails that seem to arrive every day in my inbox. The track that was being promoted in 2012 was From Nowhere and it did prompt me to investigate further. Wikipedia said: "Daniel Francis "Dan" Croll (born 18 July 1990) is a British singer-songwriter born in Newcastle-under-Lyme. He moved to Liverpool when he was 18 to attend the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts (LIPA). While at LIPA, he won the national Songwriter of the Year award and was one of eight students picked to have a one-to-one with LIPA founder Sir Paul McCartney."

The song that really piqued my interest later was Home, released in Dec 2013, which is a beautifully written, slightly tongue in cheek, song about Dan's feelings about family and home, and how good they make him feel.

This gig in the Liquid Rooms was part of Croll’s first headline tour in support of his debut album, Sweet Disarray released earlier this year.

The band came on followed by the man himself, looking every part the slightly gauche, naive frontman. They wasted no time in launching into ‘Compliment Your Soul’ to the roaring response of the audience. This was followed by ‘Thinkin Aboutchu’ and ‘In/Out’, exploring the diverse range of genres and abilities that Croll demonstrates throughout Sweet Disarray. The translation of the album to the stage is as impressive as Croll’s repertoire itself – the electronic beats, the alluring guitar hooks, the catchy choruses; all these sound better and more dynamic when experienced live.

His appearance belies his confidence on stage however and there is no pretension or shyness in his stage persona, as he engages frequently and cheerfully with his band and audience. He went into great detail on the delicacies they had sampled in Pizza Express at the top of Cockburn Street just before the gig - Calzones all round apparently.

The band have worked with the South African vocal group Ladysmith Black Mambazo recently in Durban, on Hello My Baby and Ever At Your Side, and the quality of the harmonies during those songs was testimony to that collaboration. Beautiful stuff.

They polished off the first set with a stonking version of Home, complete with serious audience singalong and some wild dancing in the front few rows of the crowd. The band departed while the audience called for more, more.

When they did return, it was to perform a stripped back and very mellow encore set, starting off with his first ever single Marion, followed by Eyes Together and the title track from the new LP.

As I left the Liquid Room I reflected on the show. Well put together set, good songs well performed. I'm sure the lad from Staffordshire will do well. I even had the opportunity to chat briefly to Peter Kirk of Panama Wedding. All in all a great evening!

--- Setlist ---
Compliment Your Soul 
Thinkin Aboutchu (sic) 
Only Ghost 
In/Out 
Can You Hear Me 
Must Be Leaving 
Wanna Know 
Maway 
Hello My Baby 
Ever At Your Side 
From Nowhere 
Always Like This 
Home 

-- Encore: --
Marion 
Eyes Together 
Sweet Disarray 

Panama Wedding 

New York based quartet Panama Wedding opened proceedings with a rousing set of their lively synth-guitar-pop, delivering a joyfully upbeat and infectious sound.

Panama Wedding

The group, formed from the computer-based solo work of front man Peter Kirk before expanding into the multi-instrumentalist four-piece we see today, have grown in status this summer after the success of their EP Parallel Play. Tracks such as ‘All of the People’ and ‘Una’ exemplify their feel-good, boppy motif, and they were revelling in the opportunity to impress a wider audience during their supporting tour with Dan Croll. The crowd response was really positive – if at first unsure, the dancing and applause as the set came to a close confirmed the deserved popularity of Panama Wedding.

--- Setlist ---

Uma 

Trust 

(Unknown) ("Sit Outside")

(Unknown) ("Don't Give Up")

All Of The People 

Olive Grove Label Showcase - The Pleasance Sessions

Olive Grove Label Showcase

11th October 2014 - The Pleasance, Edinburgh

 On the bill were: Call To Mind; Skinny Dipper; The Moth & The Mirror; Woodenbox

In the courtyard of the Pleasance Theatre they were holding the Och!toberfest Beer Festival - a lovely candelabra lit marquee offering liquid delights from a diverse selection of brewers. One of Stewarts and one of Dusty Moose, plus a generous helping of haggis, neeps and tatties, left us in a good mood and ready for anything.

Och!toberfest Marquee

Organised by Lloyd Meredith and his team, Olive Grove Records showcase main aim is "is to release good music and not lose too much money". Lloyd was wandering about in his natty "I Can't Dance To This Music" baseball cap, enjoying the ambience.
The theatre was barely half full when we arrived, so we plumped for some near-front seats and relaxed, listening to the eclectic mix of tunes the DJ/sound guy was playing. 

The stage

Call To Mind 

..were up first, and I was really looking forward to their set - in fact they were the main reason I was there. I'd seen them once before in Glasgow as part of a fund-raising event for the Cairn String Quartet and had followed their progress ever since, and purchasing their debut LP The Winter Is White some months ago. The album is full of beautifully crafted tunes and I'd recommend listening to it here.
Normally the lineup consists of brothers Martin Ross (vocals, keyboards and guitar) and Jamie Ross (guitar, vocals) with Andrew Masson (bass), Joe Smillie (drums), Steven Gribbin (guitar, vocals). Unfortunately they were without a keyboard player on this occasion. 

Call To Mind

This meant that as a 4-piece, the beautiful swirling sounds (described by one critic as "how Joy Division would sound covering Dark Side Of The Moon") I'd hoped to hear were marred by excessive guitar feedback, and too-loud guitar loops. I seldom recognised much of what they played.  

The one exception was "Untitled" which started off really well, then the overbearing guitar kicked in and it was lost.

I was really disappointed, and my gig-buddy was even more vocal in dislike. Such a shame as I really do think they've got great potential, but it didn't show here.

--- Setlist probably included ---

A Family Sketch 
Breathe 
Over The Machair 
Untitled 
Chemotherapy

Skinny Dipper

This was the second time I'd seen the Skinnies and they didn't fail to impress again.

Skinny Dipper

Skinny Dipper are made up of members from an array of Scottish talent including: singer Alex Kenzel (blochestra), bass player Vicki Cole (Randolph’s Leap) violinist Heather Thikey (Randolph’s Leap, Kill The Waves), trumpet player Ali Hendry (Randolph’s Leap), keyboardist and vocalist Gillian Higgins, violinist Cat Calton (Aerial’s Up), Ruth Campbell (Aerial’s Up, Quickbeam), Monika Gromek (Quickbeam) and Iain Symes-Marshall (Trapped In Kansas).

Higgins and Kenzel took it in turns to provide lead vocals and the whole ensemble joined in to provide a gorgeous wall-of-sound on Hospital Bed.

Great set!

---Setlist included ---

Landing

Hospital Bed

The Kids Are Moving On 

Cellphones

Son Of A Mitch

The Moth & The Mirror

The Moth & The Mirror

The Moth & The Mirror have been proclaimed as a Scottish supergroup, comprising of members taken from an array of Scottish talent including: Stacey Sievwright from The Reindeer Section and Arab Strap (vocals/guitar), Gordon Skene from Frightened Rabbit (guitar/vocals), Louis Abbott from Admiral Fallow and Song of Return (guitar/vocals) Kevin McCarvel (bass), Iain Sandilands (percussion) and Peter Murch (drums).

Entertaining set, with a couple of fun moments - one where there was a 10-15 second pause before the song continued. Explained afterwards as a "special version" due to forgotten words, currently not available on the new album Honestly, This World.

Sievewright's vocals were strong and she and Skene are definitely the frontmen, working off each other and enjoyable to hear.

-- Setlist included --

Everyone I Know

Fire

Beautiful Creature 

Honestly, This World 

Hope Is An Anchor 

Oceans & Waves 

Woodenbox

Woodenbox

Some may know the band as Woodenbox with a Fistful of Fivers, but the 6-piece have decided to shorten it down to the humble Woodenbox. Now signed to Olive Grove they have gained a reputation for great live gigs with a mariachi trumpet backing (3 of them).

I enjoyed their first few numbers, but was not able to stay for the full set. 

Highlights were Besides The Point and Hang The Noose.

Definitely worth another listen here 

-- Setlist included --

Besides The Point

Everyone Has a Price

Twisted Mile

Hang The Noose