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Rating Guide
None = Unmissable
= Unwatchable
Page number refers to the Fringe programme
A harper's pleasure (Page 97)
Drams 0
Music Traditional Scottish music and poetry including that of Robert Burns.
Lady Nairne, James Hogg (The Ettrick Shepherd), Alexander Gray
Peformed by Isobel Mieras (clarsach)
Venue Magdalen Chapel (Venue 185)
Address Cowgate
Reviewer Pat Napier
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The Magdalen Chapel
© Pat Napier
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Everybody loves a story and in the intimate space of the ancient, delightful Magdalen
Chapel a wonderfully gifted storyteller wove her magic to a delighted audience.
Isobel Mieras called her concert A harper's pleasure - a significant title
for it tied up a dozen little nosegays of things which pleased her into a garland
of Scottish musical and historical pleasures.
It also gave her the opportunity to weave in the history of her instrument, her
beloved clarsach, the Scottish harp, that seductive sounding instrument, the 'small
harp' which reaches back deep into the mists of Scotland's antiquity. >From the
earliest times of the Celts and the Druids, their royal courts and schools had
their Bards and honoured their presence for they were the keepers of the knowledge
and history of their culture. It's all very romantic and the tales very much tie
in with the romantic heart of the Scot.
The Jacobite Rising, whose ending in the mid 18th century, finally plunged the
clarsach into a 150 year period of neglect, was the most romantic time of all.
The stories and songs which tell of the impact of Bonnie Prince Charlie on his
native country still hauntingly endure today and are deeply loved. So this first
group told a tale about that mysterious, unnamed Somebody, of his optimistic,
glamorous arrival in Edinburgh in the famous Charlie is my darling by Lady
Nairne (whose parents sheltered him when things began to fall apart) and the sad
stories of loss at the end in two Burns pieces.
In a contrasting mood, romance followed in the beautiful Joy to the person
I love, and then it was off on a delightful tour around the Scottish ballads
in music and verse built around Lord Randal (and his domineering mother).
Then the children featured in the jaunty Katie Bairdie. Teenagers' emotions
were next up in Comin' through the rye and Burns' A red, red rose,
sung in its original published version, threw a completely different light on
a seemingly familiar song - and with a twist in its tail. With her distinctive,
gentle humour Isobel Mieras revealed the extent of this song's popularity around
the world in a tiny detail. Stuck at the roadside, trying to cross a very busy
road, the Tokyo traffic lights finally kicked in. The traffic stopped instantly
and the crossing signal for pedestrians turned out to be several bars of A
red, red rose!
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Isobel Mieras
© Pat Napier
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An elegant compliment to the owners of the Magdalen Chapel and its minister
was paid in the Iain Crichton Smith poem she'd recently found I built an
orange church, a glorious riot of colour to contrast with the severe lack
of colour in the chapel.
After evocative glimpses of the Hebridean landscapes and the Scottish version
of the Keel Row our emotions were deftly manipulated - at least those
of the Scots in the audience - by singing the patriotic Scots wha hae. But there
was more to it than that because the very same tune (the old tune Hey tuttie
taitie which migrated to France and is still played by French village bands)
led a contemplation of faithfulness in The land o' the leal. A different
key, a softer tone and the heart sang for love of country.
Then we were back at the beginning to tie up the garland - with the Jacobites,
this time from the emigrants and the aftermath. The Skye boat song told
the tale of the escape, while Loch Lomond is the jail conversation of
two Highland soldiers, one who's to die and the other to be freed. A lst commentary
is from Adam Skirving from nearby Tranent on the Battle of Prestonpans. He very
likely saw the events when he said in Hey Johnnie Cope that General John
Cope of the English army fled in fright at having to withstand a full blooded
Highlanders' assault.
Be all that as it may, the encore was Isobel Mieras' enchanting Catriona,
written for her then two year old granddaughter.
© Pat Napier. 10 August 2004 Published on www.edinburghguide.com
The Magdalen Chapel in the Cowgate is open to the public from Monday to Friday
9.30am-4pm
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Hexicon (page 102)
Drams and a half
Musicians Mike Collins and Paul Rains
Venue C o2, Oxygen (venue 202)
Address Oxygen, Infirmary Street
Reviewer Shona Brodie 13th August 2004
Getting settled at our seats for this late night performance I began wondering
what kind of act we were going to be experiencing. The Festival programme promised
‘eclectic music, including a mellow acoustic set, ambient rock, down-beat
jazz and an experimental flavour of live analogue samples and live visuals’
so I have to admit that I was expecting more of a mixed media show than the
two guys on guitars we were confronted with.
Hexicon’s two guys are Mike Collins and Paul Rains from Kent and these
talented musicians played a mix of guitars, keyboard, percussion and nicely
balanced vocals. But there was an odd air about the place. It didn’t feel
like a full on performance, or an informal jam, but somewhere strangely in between
the two. Quiet at the mics they seemed shy and scared to be introducing their
set; a combination of their own laid back acoustic tunes and similar style covers.
A few of their musical friends joined in on a couple of the songs, adding to
that jam feel but also adding to the feeling that they were not playing to the
audience but clearly for themselves. More like ‘bedroom musicians’
rather than Festival performers.
A different and more laid back experience than the bustle of the city nightlife.
Escaping to this basement bar will definitely mellow you out before bed.
© Shona Brodie. 15 August 2004. Published on www.edinburghguide.com See
also www.velocet.org.uk
Run 6-30th August 2004
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Nick Harper (Page 102)
Drams 0 - it just wouldn't be safe with any more...
Music His own music
Musician Nick Harper (guitar)
Venue Pod Deco (Venue 75)
Address 7 Clerk Street
Reviewer Nick Scott
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Nick Harper
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Nick Harper is widely regarded as one of the most diverse and inventive singer-songwriter
guitarists in the UK today. He has a solo career spanning almost 20 years, and
has worked with some of the bigger names in the industry - this includes a modest
start, collaborating with his father, Roy Harper, and Jimmy Page. Now a
favourite at the Edinburgh Festival, Harper was awarded the Bank of Scotland Herald
Angel award for musical excellence at the 2003 Edinburgh Fringe.
Pod Deco, previously a four-screen cinema complex, is the venue for Nick Harper
at this year's Fringe. A 20 minute delay before the show started was handled by
the staff, who offered some terrible jokes and boiled sweets to keep the queue
happy. The smallest of the old cinemas has been successfully transformed into
a versatile music venue.
It is here that Harper waits, behind a dark curtain, melodically tuning and detuning
his guitar. Despite Harper's reputation, and building Fringe popularity, there
is a disappointingly small audience (a quick head-count of about 25) here to see
him.
With a broad spectrum of original material, and the occasional cover such as Eric
Idle's Galaxy Song, Harper performs with passion and precision in abundance.
Not only is he a very talented guitarist, but a gifted singer also. Harper's expressive
vocals compliment his guitar playing perfectly, and he is able to indulge and
exaggerate
either as the mood suits. His own songs are often heart-felt and poignant, but
Harper also includes a good level of familiarity and fun - there are references
to Elvis, Led Zeppelin and even Public Enemy.
Harper is a relaxed and confident performer. He casually chats between songs and
almost encourages audience participation at these points. This is the laid-back
and interactive side to Nick Harper; when playing, Harper is emotionally intense
and frighteningly expressive as he becomes engrossed in his performance. Songs
of personal reflection and political commentary are delivered in an enthralling
and arresting fashion. For his final, 10 minute epic, Harper fully exploited the
missing audience, and energetically leapt from seat to seat. Not a note was missed,
although a few heart-beats may well have been.
© Damon Thompson. 24 August 2004. Published on www.edinburghguide.co.uk
Run 20-28 August (not 24th) 2004 at Pod Deco
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Hotel California –
a salute to the Eagles (p103)
Drams 0
Musicians Dave Stewart (drums); Kenny Archibald (vocals, keyboard and guitars);
Jim Bowie (vocals, lead, double-neck, rhythm guitars); Gus Boyd (vocals, bass
guitar); John Wardell (vocals, lead, rhythm guitars)
Venue The Famous Spiegeltent (Venue 87)
Address George Square Gardens
Reviewer Julian Davis
I can’t imagine many of my music generation not owning a copy of an Eagles
song; even just their Greatest Hits album which is still touted as
the world’s greatest selling record, for this was a band with not just
hits, but mega-hits which lit up the 70’s and early 80’s. It was
a time of laid back electric country-rock overlaid with Glenn (the Lone Arranger)
Frey’s visionary vocal arrangements and well crafted lyrics which were
usually comments on American cultural life in the 70’s.
Any tribute ban has its work cut out to recreate the original sounds but here
we are talking about a monumental task to replicate an original, timeless
and magical sound for which we have not seen the like since – could our
very own Hotel California (unlike the American band of the same name which,
unfortunately, the Spiegeltent’s literature URL linked into) do justice
to these masterpieces of contemporary music? I approached the Famous Spiegeltent
with great anticipation to resolve that question and to have a pre-show drink
only to hear the band in full flow. Panicking, I checked my ticket, then the
box office and was reassured that I wasn’t late but due to heavy demand
for the show (ours was a sell-out) they had agreed to put on a ‘matinee’
performance.
Listening outside with my medicinal beverage fully grasped I was a little
concerned at the sound I was hearing, but once safely installed inside, I
quickly realised the folly of anyone not obtaining a ticket as the sound the
band made was so much better than that which percolated out to the beer tent.
Having only had about half an hour between the previous show and this, the
band were already warmed up and launched straight into Take it easy which
had been a great opening song on the first Eagles album. This was quickly
followed by Peaceful easy feeling, a song Glenn Frey loved to sing
as it reflected the sound of one of his favourite bands – Poco - and
again this was well covered by the band. In retrospect, the next song Witchy
woman was probably the best presented song for me. It was Don Henley’s
first song but tonight, it was Dave Stewart’s driving drumming that recaptured
all the Native American feel of the original.
By the time they played the Joe Walsh song In the city Kenny had switched
from guitar to keyboard and then came the four part harmony of Seven bridges
road, which sounds more of a CSNY/ Ian Matthews type of song but one which
I know Eagles fans loved to hear - usually at the start of a show. The audience
began getting into the music by now and many were starting to clap along.
The only Eagles hit not to have been sung by Glenn Frey or Don Henley? Actually
this was Randy Meisner’s, Tequila sunrise (but Gus didn’t
get around to telling us that). Along with Lee’s superb singing on Take
it to the limit, followed by Twenty-one and some ripping guitar
work from John on Already gone which belatedly roused the audience,
the first half screeched breathlessly to a halt.
If the first half contained many of the slower songs, the band promised us
that the second half would be rockier. One of these nights kicked it
off and by Lyin’ eyes the audience were enthusiastically singing
along (well there wasn’t much room left for dancing). The first post-1982
split solo single by Don Henley Dirty laundry was solidly played and
again well driven by Dave’s impeccable drumming. Joe Walsh’s Life’s
been good to me followed and then two songs from the Hotel California
album, New kid in town and Life in the fast lane where at least
two of the audience had managed to find enough space for a dance. But it was
the fastest tempo song the Eagles ever recorded, the unapologetically non-PC
Get over it which raised the temperature a degree or two, before Heartache
tonight slowed it down just a shade to bring the set to conclusion.
The audience, wildly appreciative and clamouring for an encore, brought the
boys back out for the seminal Hotel California. Jim swapped over to
his double-neck guitar and between himself and John, delivered what to me
is one of the top three best ever guitar solos ever (along with Pink Floyd’s
Comfortably numb and Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to heaven.)
The audience were on their feet and loudly vented their appreciation of an
excellent show for which the band graciously responded by coming together
in a line at the front of the stage to accept the acclaim and thank us for
our support.
If I had to mark them out of 10 some might feel that I am being harsh by saying
9. Having said that, there is no doubt that they recreated the Eagles Story
atmosphere extremely well. Gus and John not only provide great guitar riffs
and bass runs but blend well in the vocals and are well supported with Jim
and Kenny’s harmonies. The guitar work overall was quite stunning and
faithful to the original, and Dave’s drumming kept them tight at the
back.
They now go on to the Queen’s Hall next Saturday (4th September) in a
concert to support the Edinburgh Monarchs speedway team, but they promise
they will be back next spring with The Eagles story continues taking
in 20 shows across Scotland. I just hope they find a venue suitable to accommodate
the number of fans who support them – and with enough space to enable
them to better express themselves as the multimedia and dancing spaces were
sadly lacking.
© Julian Davis 30/08/2004. Published on www.edinburghguide.com See also
www.eaglesstory.co.uk
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Hotel California: salute to the
Eagles
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