It’s difficult to not feel awfully spoiled being Scottish. We’ve punched above our weight in a lot of ways over the years, and for me, the breadth and depth of musical talent from right across the country is one of the best examples of this.
Stornoway was the source of that hidden talent this time around, and although getting down to St. Andrews in the Square was a bit of a last minute affair, I can’t say I was disappointed by the offering.
Despite living, quite literally, a stone’s throw from the old church, I confess I didn’t actually know much about what went on there, aside from a fairly well respected restaurant nestling in its bowels. To find out there was such a centre of Scottish culture and music right on my doorstep that I hadn’t know about was equal parts ‘Ya Dancer’ and slightly embarrassing.
So, at the height of the Celtic Connections festival I made the perilous two street trek and went to check out some relatively unknown highland talent.
St. Andrews in the Square is quite literally a big old draughty church, albeit its now 14 year old conversion has allowed it to accommodate, among other things, movable chairs on the main floor, and a large stage area. I shiftily snuck in just as Irenie Rose was about to start and, from start to finish, she was a delight.
A product of Stornoway’s surprisingly busy music scene, Miss Irenie Rose (as her stage name goes) is an up and comer for sure, but one with a solid background in the highlands and islands scene. Her appearance at Celtic Connections was one of her first concerts since moving to Glasgow to further her musical career.
Immediately her Celtic and folk influences were apparent, and at times during the first few songs I did feel oddly transported into some sort of alternate Wickerman based present, minus the extraneous creepiness and burning of effigies.
A fairly stripped backed and calm performance initially, it did feel that her particular brand of Scottish folk wasn’t quite punching the rafters of the old church, however by the time ‘Peat Bog’ came along I began to feel the notes and rolling vocals were coming into themselves. Perhaps an effect of settling into the gig, but thankfully it all began to take a shape.
The highlight of Miss Irenie Rose’s performance was her hand-operated use of a loop pedal. Certainly not the slickest way to deploy one, but interesting to say the least. It made for some incredibly beautiful vocal overlays and beatboxing percussion backing, an addition not lost on the doting audience. Overall it was a solid performance, and I can only say that as Miss Irenie Rose grows in confidence after her move, her ear for a sly metaphor and obvious musical competence will get the word spread around Glasgow.
As a St. Andrews in the Square newbie, I was pleasantly surprised by the bar and restaurant downstairs, and although the intermission provided little time for much more than a bathroom stop and a drink, it’s certainly worth a further nosey next time round.
Another Stornoway original, Colin Macleod, filled in as headliner for the evening. A slightly more seasoned and accomplished musician, there was confidence and competence enough in his performance to confirm just that. Initially sticking with guitar and vocals, he was later joined by a double bassist and violinist, which definitely served to add the depth and range that a venue like this was screaming out for.
Upcoming new release ‘California’ was delivered with all the elegance and finesse that it required, although for me it was ‘Saints’ that was the highlight of his original material this time round. Much of his material is definitely tailor made for a wider audience, and there was far more a maritime-pop vibe about Colin Macleod than the support.
Although I certainly couldn’t fault the execution of some of the songs, there were times when I (and perhaps others in the audience) wondered if he was as invested in the delivery as he could be. Favourite ‘Easy Way Out’ however, brought back a slightly waning audience connection, and having his brother and muse for the track in the crowd made for a good bit of back and forth.
Rather surprisingly, Colin delivered two covers during this set; the first a slowed down and soulful interpretation of Springsteen’s ‘Dancing in the Dark’. It was one of those ever annoying “I swear I know this song” moments for most, but when it dawned, it went down a real treat.
Of the backing musicians, much should be said. Although unaware at the time, the backing vocalist was none other than the ever-present Rachel Surmanni, who I’m now certainly a lot more familiar with. The double bassist and violinist were excellent in bringing something that did feel a little missing from some of the plainer acoustic tracks. At times the atmospherically lit stage and soothing scales seemed to bring not just the audience but also Colin Macleod out of himself a bit.
The encore was rounded off with a truly unexpected (and brilliant) cover of Randy Newman’s ‘You’ve Got a Friend in Me’, of Toy Story fame, completely unplugged. In such a large space it worked strangely well, and got a rise out of even the most senior members of the audience.
All in all I was impressed with Colin Macleod, however I feel Miss Irenie Rose certainly punched above her billing. She’ll be one I’ll be keeping an eye out for on the Glasgow circuit in the coming months. For me though, the gig did urge me to turn my head away from the masses of central belt artists, and poke my head up north now and again. If this evening was anything to go by, you can be sure there’s a lot more than Wind and Peat Bogs up in Stornoway.
You can get find out more about Colin Macleod here and Miss Irenie Rose here.
You can follow the author of this article, Jamie Cook, on Twitter @TheTartanRogue.
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