|
Television Personalities, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Juana
Molina, Alasdair Roberts, Pastels DJs, Miso DJs, Lucky Luke, Dosimat,
Open Field Church,
Andres Lokko Tron Theatre, Glasgow
“
This is the closest thing to crazy I have ever been…almost forty-five,
acting seventeen,” Television Personalities’ Daniel Treacy
sings out of tune, twisting Katie Melua’s lyrics. People laugh
and clap, but the first gig of this Geographic night, part of the Triptych
Festival, doesn’t seem to go down too well. Treacy is not that
interested in playing tonight – at least it looks so - and keeps
on interrupting the songs with long breaks and complaints about the venue
and the fact that it’s only 6 pm, definitely not the right
time to go on stage.
Luckily, the friendly atmosphere of a typical Triptych gig is restored
when the Open Field Church get on stage in the restaurant area of
Glasgow’s
Tron Theatre, turned for the occasion into a multiple room venue. The
band is a small collective of Brazilian musicians obsessed with Maher
Shalal Hash Baz’s song ‘Open Field’. Tonight Eduardo
Ramos & Co are joined on stage by local friends BMX Bandits’ Douglas
T. Stewart, International Airport’s Tom Crossley and Belle & Sebastian’s
Sarah Martin. They sing English covers of seminal Brazilian singers such
as Gilberto Gil, and are enthusiastically cheered especially for their
rendition of Jorge Ben’s ‘Mas Que Nada’.
Alasdair
Roberts’set is tinged with folk references and it is inspired
by traditional Scottish ballads. He performs songs from Appendix Out’s
back catalogue (‘Frozen Blight’, ‘Ice Age’),
from his 2003 album “Farewell Sorrow” (‘Come, My Darling
Polly’) and from his latest “No Earthly Man”. Death
and tragedy are always at the core of Roberts’ songs, but the way
he delivers them in his calm and clear voice, as if he were telling us
a story, is mesmerizing. His flawless set closes with two gems, ‘Admiral
Cole’ and ‘Sweet William’, which leave the audience
in awe of this young charismatic singer and songwriter.
While in the foyer the Miso DJs are providing a sort of chill out
environment, folk-rock group Lucky Luke – the band formed by
Simon Shaw of V-Twin fame and harmonium and concertina player Morag
Wilson - delight the audience
with their powerful ballads, at times sad, at times joyous, yet always
energetic and catchy, in particular their single 'Fear Eats The Soul'.
Stephen Pastel, Gerard Love and Andres Lokko are DJing in the restaurant
room during the breaks between one band and the other, and, after
popping in there briefly,
I
redirect myself to the theatre room where Juana
Molina is playing. Molina is well known in Latin America for starring
in "Juana
y Sus Hermanas", an Argentinean sketch comedy TV series. She’s
been developing her career as a musician since 1996: all her songs
are delicate and gentle melodies, mostly delivered in Spanish on
a background
of acoustic guitars and electronic elements. The highlight tonight
is ‘El
Perro’, a comic track at the end of which Juana barks like
a real dog, including an element of comedy in her set.
Back in the restaurant area in the meantime, Japanese Maher
Shalal Hash Baz are getting ready to get on stage. The crowd thickens while
we wait.
Then Tori Kudo arrives and sits at the piano, his back to the audience
and to the members of his band (among them there’s also Tori’s
wife Reiko). Tori directs his little orchestra launching in a sort of
melodic music with jazzy nuances. There’s a special funny moment
when Tori announces ‘This is the last song,’ and concludes
the gig after pronouncing just four magic words, ‘Open, Open, Open
Field’.
So, while Dosimat in the foyer introduce the audience to some fine
and ethereal electronica, Television Personalities are back in the
theatre
area. They sound just a tiny bit better during this second part of
their show, managing to play among the others also the new song ‘No More
I Hate Yous’ and the classic ‘Look Back in Anger’.
If they could just concentrate, they could be much better (vocalist Victoria
Yeulet has got quite a nice voice; Edward Ball on bass and Mathew Sawyer
on drums are quite coordinated, though Treacy isn’t): shame Treacy
is too busy joking about a puppet duck he’s just bought in a £1
shop, that, according to him, looks like Alan McGee, and generally
arguing with random members of the audience.
Perhaps too many years have gone since the band formed in 1977 and
recapturing particular moments in the life of Television Personalities
is impossible;
perhaps we are simply expecting too much from tonight’s gig. ‘If
only they could be more coherent’, I hear somebody behind me saying
during the gig, and I’m almost tempted to answer that, after all,
coherence was never among Television Personalities’ artistic
qualities. (Anna Battista)
(Photos by Anna Battista - click to see larger image)
|