Scotland
Album: Emeli Sandé - Let's Say For InstanceSaturday, 07 May 2022
Around a decade ago, Scottish singer Emeli Sandé appeared during a golden time for original female songwriters. On well-wrought, richly-inhabited songs such as “My Kind of Love” she quickly established herself as a characterful performer able to... Read more... |
Foals, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - a euphoric returnSaturday, 23 April 2022
Much has changed for Foals since their current run of shows were first announced. Initially scheduled to support 2019’s twin releases of Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost Parts 1 and 2, so much time has passed that the group are now set to release... Read more... |
Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Royal Concert Hall, Glasgow review - pop songstress partying like it's 2020Tuesday, 29 March 2022
There are few people, especially musicians, who would wish to revisit the spring and summer of 2020 with any fondness, but Sophie Ellis-Bextor might be an exception. Her kitchen discos, in which she and her husband Richard Jones, aided by their... Read more... |
Dream Wife, St Lukes and the Winged Ox, Glasgow review - an exhilarating reminder of live music's powerThursday, 24 March 2022
Rakel Mjöll has a nice line in understatement. “We released this album in July 2020”, she said at one point, referring to her band’s sophomore record “So When You Gonna...” before adding, dryly, “which wasn’t the best time”. Finally, nearly two... Read more... |
The Miserly Knight / Mavra, Scottish Opera review - a bold double act in the heart of ScotlandWednesday, 23 March 2022
To stage a double bill of unusual 20th century Russian operas would be brave at the best of times. To do so in the Fair City of Perth amply demonstrates Scottish Opera’s laudable commitment to extend its influence beyond the Edinburgh-Glasgow... Read more... |
White Lies, SWG3, Glasgow review - indie veterans get their groove onThursday, 17 March 2022
White Lies began their set as many bands would end it, with a familiar hit ringing out and an explosion of confetti over the crowd. Such a tactic made you wonder if the three-piece would peak too soon here, mirroring the band’s commercial fortunes... Read more... |
Starsailor, SWG3, Glasgow review - nostalgic comfort to satisfy the faithfulThursday, 09 December 2021
When Starsailor arrived onstage, they did so to the somewhat odd walk-on music of one of their biggest hits, with a remix of “Good Souls” blaring out and an early sing-a-long underway as a result. Perhaps that was appropriate, as this evening was... Read more... |
MacMillan Christmas Oratorio, LPO, Elder, RFH review – a new star for the seasonMonday, 06 December 2021
The shadow of the cross falls over James MacMillan’s manger. You may come for his work’s consoling, even transporting, beauty and mystery. It’s there in abundance in his new Christmas Oratorio. Yet what may grip hardest are his passages of crashing... Read more... |
Paul Weller, Barrowland, Glasgow review - Modfather holding back father time with old and new tricksWednesday, 01 December 2021
There was a brief lapse in this lengthy set when Paul Weller stood up from the piano, walked towards centre stage and then pivoted back the way he came, having realised he was moving a song too early. “That’s the trouble with getting old, you forget... Read more... |
Kim, RSNO, Stockhammer, Usher Hall, Edinburgh review - bold programming survives a replacementMonday, 29 November 2021
What happens in an orchestra when your designated conductor for three gigs at the end of the week phones in with Covid on Monday morning? By Monday afternoon, when he was writing his introduction to the programme notes for this concert, Alistair... Read more... |
The Jesus and Mary Chain, Barrowland, Glasgow review - Scottish siblings still the loudest gang in townTuesday, 16 November 2021
There is unquestionably a more mellow side to the Jesus and Mary Chain these days, even when reviving their most ferocious glories from the past. Prior to launching this two-halved set, comprising their 1987 classic Darklands to begin with and a... Read more... |
Shetland, Series 6, BBC One review - too many cooks and too many crooksThursday, 04 November 2021
The population of the Shetland archipelago is only about 23,000 (similar to Broadstairs or Amersham), though judging by the adventures of DI Jimmy Perez, an extraordinarily large percentage of them harbour dark secrets or murderous tendencies. BBC... Read more... |
