Jamie Cullum - All Hail 'The Piano Man'.............

Hullo ma wee blog,

The lovely G and travelled through to Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall last night to go to our first Jamie Cullem concert. G was the instigator, listening to bits of his regular slot on BBC Radio Two as she comes home from work sometimes. I was an interested companion, loving piano music in most of it's forms, even if I do struggle with the density of some jazz. I was, it has to be said, unsure of a full blown jazz piano concert by someone I had heard very little of, but willing to give it a go. It turned out to be one of the most fantastic nights for a couple of years and as we reflected back on the night on the way home, we both agreed that he can sign up another two fans.

We were ably set up for the show by a half hour set from supporting act Eliza Dolittle's quirky voice and engaging character. Each track she gave us was original, interesting and very musical, yearning back to phrasing, styles and form of previous years in a highly sympathetic but completely modern way. She too captivated us right from the start and can add also us to her list of fans. A creative and cracking little performer and a talent to watch out for in the future for sure.

By the time Jamie Cullem came on stage just shy of 9pm the audience was ripe for a great show. I was intrigued before the show with the range of ages of lots of beautiful women from teens to fifties, carefully and very stylishly dressed for the night out. It appeared that oor Jamie has a willing set of following 'groupies' {and pardon me ladies if that is less than flattering for you} with an age range as wide as his musical influences.

The show started with an excited squeal from the hard core following and from the start it was easy to see what could captivate about the personality of the diminutive JC. Instantly, he made you aware of a gentle and unassuming nature, lacking in ego, big on self deprecation, easy on the ear, not grating with any kind of 'I'm the center of attention'. He is a young man {30} secure in his skin and aware he has a gift, seemingly genuinely delighted at being able to share it with you. He led off by saying that we should strap ourselves in for the long haul as they intended to play for as long as energy and inspiration held out. There was, he advised, no set list. "We're going to play what we feel like playing."

For the next two and a quarter hours he proceeded to prove he is a prodigious talent. Songs came fast and loose, covering every genre from trad and modern jazz to rock, beatbox, electric looping and Latin American. His influences showed in the huge divergence of musical styles covered, consumed, tweaked, tugged and twisted in the inimitable style of someone who is a highly individual artist. Above all it was his artistry on show last night. Yes, he is a sex thimble, yes he is a star ,but his skill, his intelligence and his complete understanding of the text he uses to communicate is where he is truly special. He blew me and everyone else in the theatre last night completely and utterly away. He plays piano like Dudley Moore with twenty years of extra practice, he phrases like Frank Sinatra and sings like a cross between Coldplay's Chris Martin and an even cooler Michael Buble. It was hypnotic to watch, it was mesmerising to listen to.

A simple four piece band of extraordinary talent, like the bass players accompaniment to the almost 10 minute freestyle duet interpretation of  'I get a kick out of you' with Jamie, showed a togetherness of real musicianship, connected by the understanding they all had of the subject matter. They quite simply had a blast and let us in on it. The two hours ended with the band having moved down to the middle of one of the side aisles with Jamie out in the audience for a fifteen minute jam session. He encouraged the audience around to come out into the aisle and dance with them - an offer too good for some of the keenest middle aged matrons to resist,  resulting in some unseemly drooling on their part - and then to follow them back down to the front of the stage while the band climbed back on for the finale and a rapturous finish to the night. The band completed an encore and Jamie ended with a heart rending version of the slow theme from Grande Torino.



A simply staggering concert, and one I couldn't fault in any way. Utterly, utterly brilliant.

If you get the chance to see him - dont miss it.............

Chris Rea - Guitar Dancin'.....

Having spent the evening on Monday being entertained by Amy MacDonald, I had high expectations of being more than equally fulfilled last night when we went to see Chris Rea at the Festival Theatre. Actually, I was confidently on safe ground on that score, having seen Chris in concert six or seven times before and never yet been disappointed. I've loved his stuff since I was skinny and especially his blues and slide guitar work which mark him out as one of this country's best, and most under-rated musicians. He's always been pretty much low key here, certainly the media never gave him the kudos of some lesser contempories, and he never really gained the popularity he deserves.

Having picked up my Lovely G from work we headed up The Bridges and across the Royal Mile and on past The Festival Theatre, leaving the car parked in front of the Museum of Scotland in Chambers Street to meet a friend and have a pre show dinner at a small restaurant which came highly recommended last year by a newspaper critic. 'The Pink Olive' in West Nicolson St. is a small place of only about 20 tables tucked discretely away up a side street a couple of minutes walk from the theatre and we had managed to book ourselves the last table which was nice and cosy despite being close to the entrance door. It's rare these days where you can find real value for money without sacrificing quality, and at £11.75 for a THREE course pre show dinner, it's an absolute winner, so much so that our friend magnanimously offered to pay for dinner, and it's got to be value for money for a Scotsman to do that!!!

After a superb - I had the chicken followed by the vegetarian curry - and efficiently served meal we headed off in good time to catch the support act, Paul Casey, who was very good and could actually have been comfortably listened to for an entire performance with his quiet manner and superb acoustic set rolling easy on the ear across the audience. He also returned for the main show as part of Chris' backing band which I thought was a great compliment in both directions and really nice to see.

Chris started off bang on 8.30 and for the next two hours totally, completely and utterly controlled the whole place. It was simply mesmersing to listen to his guitar work as he joyfully extended each song with some superb  solo sections. The favourites were all there of course - 'Julia', 'Stansby Girls' and 'Road to Hell' among them as well as lots of the lesser known stuff. It's the sheer joy of the man in performance that captivates so well. Never a great one for dialogue with the audience, he sequed  seemlessly from one track to the next with a wide grin or a punch in the air to mark the move and he kept at us with those incredible riffs, on and on, developing, shaping, twisting and always returning to the matter at hand and happily, smilingly, guitar dancing, completely gone with the guitar and the moment. He had the whole place jumping by the end of the night. A joy to behold and for any guitar fan, bliss beyond belief. Thats a lot of praise for one man, but somehow doesn't do him justice in my eyes.

What a show. If  ever he's playing within reasonable distance I'll be there. An incredible live performer. Much better than as an album artist and that's probably why he remains such an open secret and why the waitress at dinner said,

"I think the whole restaurant is going to the Chris Rea concert tonight but I've never heard of him. Is he any good?"

Oh, my, yes. He's good all right.......

Very!

See you later.

Listening to The Move 'Flowers in the Rain'

Monday Night Is Music Night

Hullo ma wee blog,

Monday night saw the latest live gig, Amy Macdonald at the HMV Picture House in Edinburgh, a complete sell out. We got there early as I met the lovely G from work and we had a lght dinner at the cafe in 'The Filmhouse' just across the road. Then, as usual, G insisted we get in the queue early to make sure we had a good slot for the show. As it turns out - again, as usual - she was right and we ended up in the front row of the balcony, dead center with the perfect view at this small venue.

Support was Jersey Budd, singer songwriter, and very good he and his band were too. Echoes of 'Oasis' and 'The Verve' with a twist of 'Stereophonics'



The roadies were very efficient and the support act cleared and Amy set up in less than half an hour.

Onstage by 9pm, she was in good voice and in great form for a lengthy session covering off her last two albums in their entirety.

A great show, great crowd and great venue. Couldn't ask for much more from my late birthday present. She's a great little entertainer, writes her own material and gives a powerhouse performance. She's got an engaging style, some fabulous lyrics and can come up with some unforgettable tunes. I have wanted to see her live since I heard her on the radio for the first time and it was such a great concert. Amazing.

2 hours over all too soon and then time to hit the road to home.



Cant wait till Thursday and Chris Rea.

Never too much live music in your life!!!

see you later.

Listening to Chris Rea 'Stainsby Girls'

If it be your will........

Hullo ma wee blog,

Leonard Cohen has given much that I've found inspiring over the years. Poems like "A Thousand Kisses Deep" and "If it be your will" speak volumes on spirituality and the human condition. On occasion when insomnia keeps sleep from me I like to be quietly companioned through the night by music or word to suit my mood. This poem made me reflect a couple of nights ago. Hope you don't mind me sharing.

I've included a performance of the piece from a Cohen concert tour that the lovely G and I went to a couple of years ago now. As a fan of many years standing it was a wonderful experience and one that I'll never forget. Things like that are life affirming.


"If It Be Your Will"

If it be your will
That I speak no more
And my voice be still
As it was before
I will speak no more
I shall abide until
I am spoken for
If it be your will

If it be your will
That a voice be true
From this broken hill
I will sing to you
From this broken hill
All your praises they shall ring
If it be your will
To let me sing

If it be your will
If there is a choice
Let the rivers fill
Let the hills rejoice
Let your mercy spill
On all these burning hearts in hell
If it be your will
To make us well

And draw us near
And bind us tight
All your children here
In their rags of light
In our rags of light
All dressed to kill
And end this night
If it be your will

If it be your will.

see you later

Porcupine Tree

Hullo ma wee blog,

Another weekend, another trip to Glasgow and another concert. Seems like the lovely G and I have spent a lot of time travelling through here - a 90 minute journey from home - coming to concerts. Glasgow has more and better venues, and a better reputation as venue than Edinburgh. Friday saw us come through for the much awaited 'Porcupine Tree' concert. An English band who cover the 'prog rock' to almost {to me anyway} the 'metal' edge of rock. G and I came through early to be sure of finding the venue,decent parking and to have a quick bite before the concert as I had picked her up from an early finish from work. We had a cheap meal in a small cafe near the famous Glasgow Kings Theatre, sat at the next table to Gerard Kelly, a well known Scots TV and theatre actor.

Later we met up with the lovely G's two younger brothers who are both good musicians {drums and base guitar} and huge fans of the group, with Karen, the youngest brothers girlfriend and another couple of their friends to see the gig at the 02 ABC in Sauchiehall St. where G and I had come to see David Gray a few months ago. G is a bigger fan of the band, influenced by her brothers from an early age, although I had seen them once before and enjoyed, not raved about it. Some stuff is just too heavy and impenetrable for me and I'm at the age now where sheer volume does little for me. I need to be able to understand the style and the ability of the performance, but I have learned from G and her brothers to be open to stuff that I know I wouldn't be if it wasn't for their love of the heavier side of music. I have listened to, and enjoyed, much that would never have found its way onto my list of choice otherwise with Rush, Joe Satriani and occasional ventures into Saga down to their influence.

Tonight was different; loud, energetic and fantastic. A great set, covering most of their albums back to beginnings in the late 80's. I got a different perspective on the band as the set was more musical and showed the great technical skills of the band better than I had remembered from a couple of years ago. Very tight, very musical and very accomplished, and as I am finding is usual through here in Glasgow, in front of a knowledgeable and very appreciative audience. The show was the last night of a 3 month long tour of America, Europe and the UK.

And I found one of the band members, keyboard player Richard Barbieri, used to be a member of one of my favourite bands from a very short flirtation with glam rock back in the faraway days of the 80's, 'Japan'.

A fine night, you have a new fan to add to the collection boys.

See you again sometime......


see you later,

Listening to Porcupine Tree, 'Lazarus'

Made in Scotland - from Irishmen

Clydeside Auditorium {The Armadillo}

Hullo ma wee blog,

1am and just in from a sojourn back across country to Glasgow Clydeside Auditorium for a concert of Snow Patrol, who formed as another band called 'Reindeer Section'while students here some 15 years ago. They spent the first 10 years of their careers gigging predominantly in Scotland so have a huge fan base here.



Thanks to the lads for a wonderful nights entertainment. A retrospective of the whole 15 years and also including some pre snow patrol tracks. Great music, stage show and craic, especially in a venue for just 3000 people.

Two and a half hours of sheer bliss.

My lovely G who bought me the tickets despite not being a fan of the group has been converted, as can often be the case when faced with a live performance. They worked hard with no support but clearly absolutely love being on stage and performing. They were eager, responsive and refreshingly, for such a big band, completely without ego. Everything they said to the crowd came across as absolutely genuine and its clear that they recognise the years of support from their Scottish fan base as being crucial to them staying the course until eventually reaching a wider audience. They love it up here and consider it home ground, and the sentiment was returned with equal sincerity. I've seldom seen an audience respond with such complete respect for success hard won.

If you get the chance to see them, take it. You won't regret a minute of it.


And they also covered this track from 'Elbow' another of their heroes, and another great band from Manchester. Winner of the Mercury prize in 2007 { when the Unthanks were nominated too}

Thank/Unthank

Hullo ma wee blog,

Tonight my lovely G and I took a short 20 minute trip across the border into England - well, Berwick upon Tweed, which was stolen by a long legged English king centuries ago and has been trying to get back ever since.

Anyway the purpose of going across to 'the dark side' was to go and see 'The Unthanks',a folk band from the north of England. They were nominated for a Mercury music award a couple of years ago and are seen to carry a heritage of traditional north east folk music into modern music and culture in a very special way. Rachael and Becky Unthank have a unique way of delivering what can be very bleak themes with sparse orchestrations and yet are very captivating to listen to - for a while at least.

We went to see them early this year in Glasgow and enjoyed it - well, the lovely G did more than me - I struggled with 2 hours of mainly morose songs. But I was keen to go again and see how I reacted a second time, so when a friend dropped out and there was a spare ticket I was taken out tonight to see them. I am more of a folk music fan than the lovely G and for most of the evening I thoroughly enjoyed it. There were times though when I couldn't help thinking that Geordie's are a dour bunch who like to wallow in sadness and wishing that the two Unthank sisters would just crack a smile and give a couple of lighter stories to lift the mood, and of course they did eventually but again I struggled a bit to get there with them.
They are very good at what they do but I cant class them as being casual entertainment. Fascinating, thought provoking, deep, dark and sobering perhaps and the grils themselves keep up quite a cheery banter with the crowd but after a while I do find it uncomfortable and a bit relentless both in theme, arrangement and mood.

Maybe I'm shallow.

The video at the top is the title track of the new album and one of the happier songs we heard tonight.

I think I'll stick mainly with 'The Corries'


see you later.

listening to REM 'Shiny Happy People'

Can anyone see the drummer........

Hullo ma wee blog,

Another concert and another trip to Glasgow. This time to the 02 academy to see The Flaming Lips in concert. From Oklahoma, they're described as a space/Neo-psychedelia/Indie rock/Alternative rock band.
They're also acclaimed for their elaborate live shows, which feature costumes, balloons, puppets, video projections, complex stage light configurations, giant hands, large amounts of confetti, and frontman Wayne Coyne's signature man-sized plastic bubble, in which he traverses the audience. In 2002, Q magazine named The Flaming Lips one of the "50 Bands to See Before You Die".

I can understand why.

It was one of the most fascinating spectacles I have ever encountered at a concert. At one point, with hundreds of orange and yellow balloons of various sizes from small to extraordinary bouncing around inside a fairly small venue, being stunned by long strobe effects and masses of confetti explosions, it was like an out of body experience of music inside one of those lava lantern lights you used to get.

It was just surreal......and hugely enjoyable.

And the music just throbbed through you, lifting your very being to the beat and being held there by a combination of Waynes eclectic personality, strange lyrics and Neil Young on acid singing style. It was just, well....fascinating. And very...Orange; from the stage crew to the speakers and kit it was like Christmas at the Easy Jet fantasy land store.

Not a gig I'm going to forget in a hurry.

Support was 'start of the white dwarfs' I think....... they didn't do an awfy good job of lodging the band name in the conscience, but they were interesting and competent for a group of 4 young lads who hadn't really got too far beyond just letting rip when they could. Unfortunately they may have been given some of the less experienced stage hands to help their performance cos whoever was managing the smoke machine was a wee bit heavy handed and often you couldn't see the band at all. The drummer did a fabulous solo on one track but he was nowhere to be seen which was a shame for all the effort he must have been putting in somewhere in all the fug. I thought the lead singer also sounded like Neil Young and during the gig Wayne mentioned that the lead singer was his nephew. That'll explain it then.....

It all gave us plenty to talk about as we drove back home in the early hours of Monday morning. And on a school night too......

Well.....for the lovely G anyway.

see you later.

Listening to The flaming lips 'Yoshimi battles the Pink Robots'

Thank you for the music

Hullo ma wee blog,

I love my live music. Had some of just the best times experiencing human creativity and sharing emotions with complete strangers in dark rooms filled with beautiful live music. Hearing music as its intended, live in front of you, and connecting with it in a much more personal and complete way because of that.

So it was tonight as the lovely G and I travelled through to Glasgow once more to see Fleetwood Mac in concert at the Scottish Event and Conference Center, right by the side of the Clyde and 'the Armadillo', our own wee version of the Sidney Opera House, beautifully lit up and complemented by the equally colourful BBC Scotland headquarters on the other side of the river.

We had seen Fleetwood Mac once before, many years ago, when they were touring some big city down south and had been due to take a ferry across to Dublin but were prevented by a couple of days of storms in the Irish Sea which put a complete stop to any plans for sea crossings. It was suddenly announced that they were going to do a gig in the only venue available, 'The Playhouse' in Edinburgh. So, with the help of a very supportive boss, the lovely G took a 3 hour lunch to go and queue - Yes, it was that long ago folks - for tickets for her and I and a friend. And that night I both achieved a dream in seeing the band who's music had accompanied and influenced so many of my moods and character for so many years, and experienced a real revelation about just what live music could really bring to you. Ach, I had been to many, and several of them great, concerts but THIS one, just touched me, right at the very core. It was one of those seminal moments.

When we heard that they were once more going to be in Scotland there was no way we wouldn't be going. My lovely G set me up with all the info I needed to be on line at the moment the tickets came on sale. Duly in position, I got us a couple of seats right in the center stage area with a view straight on to the hot spot.

Once more it was a seminal night. Now ok, Fleetwood Mac may not be the coolest band in the world, but I DONT CARE. I love them. And again tonight I, we, got to experience some of that magic again, but this time seen from a different perspective, a different time of life, a different me, a different us. But it was just as wonderful. Just as wonderful in such different ways.

Stevie Nicks, voice just the same, dripping smoke and honeyed gravel around the room in that soaring, sultry way that is so unique to her, and Lindsay Buckingham as the perfect foil. The only thing missing, and of course with a sound so familiar, noticeably missing was Christine McVie's voice to complete the spell. Even three good backing singers couldn't cover for the fact that she wasn't there. But, that was also right, a reminder that ultimately nothing stays the same forever perhaps, and it allowed the band to change and adapt.

Isn't that what we do in life anyway? Change and adapt to the circumstances we find ourselves in.

Mick Fleetwood was very, very good on drums and again, Lindsay Buckingham was a complete revelation on guitar. The man is a superb guitarist, and showed us tonight that many of the intros and riffs which I thought were done by more than one guitar were actually done just himself. He also played a couple of acoustic arrangements. His acoustic version of 'Big Love' was absolutely astounding.

It was a night to evoke memories, to make your heart soar and your eyes prick with emotion. To make you listen and to make you think. To take you both into the moment and the past with the creator of the music and the lyric.

No matter what type of music it is that moves you, that's what music should be all about. That's why the best music is live.

Thanks Stevie, Lindsay, Mick and John.

What a night.

Now I'm also really looking forward to the next couple of months before Christmas as we go to see ' The Flaming Lips', 'Snow Patrol' and 'Porcupine Tree'

see you later.....

Listening to Fleetwood Mac ' Rhiannon' What else?

You dancin? You askin? Ahm Askin. Ahm Dancin.

Francie and Josie.

Hullo there ma wee blog,

The phrase in the header is one familiar to pretty much every Scot I suppose. Glasgow dance hall patter of days gone by, of Teddy Boys and quiffs,crinolines and curls to the disco days. An imagined and studied cool is slightly skewered by the riposte and the inference that 'youve no' quite worked hard enough for that one pal'.



It came to mind last night as we walked into the 02 in Glasgows Sauchiehall St. We had come to see David Gray, a favourite of ours. Not knowing Glasgow so well. I had in my mind confused Argyll St with Sauchiehall St and we ended up parking at the Candleriggs multi story which is probably a good 15 minute walk away. But it was a lovey night and the walk meant that we were ready to find a wee place for a bite to eat when we got closer. I picked the lovely G up from an early finish at work and we had come through in good time.

So, we had a light pre concert dinner at a small Italian restaurant just across the street and very good it was too. We were finished in good time to walk across and join the queue as it started to head in at doors open. I was slightly annoyed - strange for me I know - when some of the door staff managing entry came along and said anyone with an 02 phone please come to the front of the queue for priority entry. The lovely G and I are both on 02 but had deliberately left the phones in the car so we had nothing to carry. Thanks for that 02! Why no message on the tickets or on the on line ticket site.

Still, we were in the first few hundred into the place despite everything.

Inside the venue is a bit tattered and torn about and the floor - pretty much a completely standing venue - was so filthy that I found myself doing that kind of deep sea divers' walk across the floor because it was so sticky......yuk!

As we were some of the first in we found ourselves a good spot near the front, to one side. There are some steps up to a raised area with standing tables and a minimal seating area which was full even by that early point, and so, we settled down to wait. Support was a guy called John Smith and he was pretty good, a good voice and some really cool guitar work, but support is always a difficult thing. Even if we are enjoying you, we are still anxious to get you off and the main event under way.

The concert got underway and we had a fantastic view across the heads of the main floor audience and only about 50 feet away from David himself. He gave us pretty much all of his new album which sounded pretty good too and of course ran through all his big hits. We laughed at the number of people trying to take mobile phone photos from far off and later giggled about why folk will insist trying to take a video while they are bopping away as they hold the phone. The woman standing in front below us was constantly filming and we could see her screen. She is going to be so disappionted when she looks and finds a film of the camera phone in front of her being held up all night.

My lovely G held me and sung her favourite " sail away with me" quietly in my ear and I returned the favour by singing my favourite " Be Mine" into hers. Its what its all about innit?

Thanks for last night hun and I'm really looking forward to a few days away with you from tommorrow. Sunshine here we come.

see you later..