|
 Concert
at the Royal Oak, Edinburgh (March 2007)
See royal-oak-folk.com
See tomfairnie.com
Review by Jack Foster
It was the first Tuesday of the month,
and 'Foakies' was in full swing with a line up including
Tom Fairnie, Mark Barnett, Ken Hastings, Dropkick and Vinnie
James.
Foakies is a night which showcases up and
coming singer/songwriters as well as poets, and naturally
they're not always gems - but there's always at least one
or two - and this month was no exception. Tom
Fairnie and (most of) The Snakes opened the show with
a fantastic version of 'Via Dolorosa' which Tom co-wrote
with Martin Boland, on top
of several other's from Fairnie's album 'Journeyman' including
the title track - as ever, Jane Fairnie's harmonies served
to create a soundscape of folk. 'The Snakes' are a fantastic
combination of passionate performers and must be one of
the most under-rated folk bands in Edinburgh.
Ken Hastings took the stage after Mark
Barnett's set was cruelly brought to an end by a broken
guitar string - apparently the first Mark has broken since
his Metal days (the dark secrets of a folkie eh). Ken's
songs are performed with guitar mastery, and a sung with
such zeal that it's impossible not to warm to him. However,
his songs often tend to revolve around a singular, usually
obscure but always whimsical observation which he belligerently
touts for the duration of the song - such as his assertion
that if St. Mungo is the father of Glasgow, then surely
Theneva must be "Glasgow's Granny" which was followed
by a song which mused on what a happy blues song might sound
like, with lines such as "my woman says she'll always
be with me...". He did say that he'd been asked to
do some instrumentals rather than songs "to break things
up a bit" - but we never did get an instrumental.
'Dropkick' who opened the second half,
were an odd choice for a folk club - these guys aren't folkies
and neither do they claim to be, but they're doing well
for themselves all the same and making a big noise on myspace.
It's unfair for a folkie to review what is essentially an
indie/pop band - they sound like an early Travis, but occasionally
dip in to 'Crowded House' territory with an echo of 'Kings
Of Convenience' - and their 'Colplay' influence is on full
view, when the riff from 'Trouble' pops up in their most
popular track 'Avenues'.
Vinnie James is a singer/songwriter from
New York, having performed with Al Cooper and shared the
same back up singers as the Rolling Stones - he's got the
credentials. Those credentials ring true when you hear Vinnie
live. It's one man and his guitar, but the sound still reminds
me of that of 'The Band' as he succesfully fuses blues and
folk to produce what is both a powerfull & down to earth
sound. The one thing I noticed with regard to the writing
- these aren't songs written for the sake of it, they're
written with a purpose - and as such, they're extremely
strong. He even managed to write an anti war number that
didn't sound hackneyed or cheesy and was, infact - quite
a rousing number. The next Foakies is on Tuesday 5th April
at the Royal Oak, Infirmary Street, Edinburgh. For £3
it's a pretty good night!
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