|  See
laurenmaccoll.co.uk / maevemackinnon.com
also: celticconnections.com
Review by Frank Burkitt
The scene was set. A golden roof with golden fairy lights
entwined around the majestic pillars of St Andrew’s
in the Square, the proudly hung Celtic Connections banners
at the back of a modest stage and the resonating acoustics
that so many churches possess made me think that surely,
there are view venues nicer than this in Scotland, never
mind just in Glasgow.
The music did more than hold it’s own. It deserved
the beautiful aesthetics and the natural acoustics. The
instruments of Maeve Mackinnon’s folkie troupe seemed
to glisten with every subtle note and chord. The harmonious
fiddling of Innes Watson and Patsy Reid was not full of
trills and expert rhythms but it did what it had to. Provided
bulk and harmony to Mackinnon’s soft, light voice.
It was a perfect marriage of voice and string. Watson’s
guitar playing provided much of the same kind of support.
It looks effortless but his playing is precise. Duncan Lyall’s
Double Bass was the main focal point for me though. It looked
magnificent under the soft lighting and sounded even better.
Again, the playing simple and subtle but every picked note
boomed around the church.
Mackinnon’s voice nothing short of Angelic. The Gaelic
language just flows out of her mouth with an unrivalled
musicality. This is a girl who has clearly grown up listening
to traditional Gaelic song and has decided to grab them
by the neck and make them her own. Add to that a tribute
in the form of ‘The Cruel Brother’ to her ‘favourite
folk singer of all time’ Dick Gaughan, and you get
a smiling audience and what I think will become a Classic
Album, once it inevitably passes the test of time.
But there were two Angel’s on offer on that incredibly
windy Glasgow night. Lauren MacColl and band had the difficult
task of following Mackinnon but achieved an equal level
of my appreciation. Incidentally, I used to be in the same
music class as Lauren in school in the bonnie Black Isle,
and I remember the potential she showed then. This was the
first opportunity I had to hear Lauren play since her recent
found fame and she didn’t let me down.
Again, it was not complex. There were no virtuoso performances
or playing of instruments whilst riding a unicycle! It was
just accomplished, contemporary compositions and established,
traditional tunes executed with complete confidence and
style. The clarity of Lauren’s sustained notes particularly
in her own work was enough to send the listeners into a
trance. It seemed that heaven had briefly visited Glasgow
as I listened to these intensely moving melodies whilst
looking up at the golden roof.
And as with Mackinnon, a slick band of fine musicians accompanied
Lauren on stage. The piano playing of Mhairi Hall was superb.
She looked delighted whilst playing too, which is something
I love about live performers. And undoubtedly, no one could
fault Barry Reid on guitar, whose harmonics in the encore
made me listen with envious ears. A slight criticism might
be that I would have liked more from Luke Daniels on Accordion.
I felt he could have been a bit more forceful perhaps. He
seemed a bit timid compared to the others but I always think
it’s hard for a box player to truly let rip if there’s
a piano in the band too.
All in all, the night was a great success, regardless of
the debate about whether an Album produced so recently,
by such young performers, can be classed as ‘classic’.
I don’t think that ever bothered me as the important
thing was to celebrate the achievements of Maeve Mackinnon
and Lauren MacColl, regardless of how it was billed. The
fact is, I have bought both albums as a result of Friday
night, and judging by the queue at the CD table, so did
many others, and that is what will ultimately make these
albums classic.
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