Last night saw the first in a double header of keenly anticipated shows with Kristin Hersh at the Oran Mor in Glasgow. Let’s get one thing clear from the off -Kristin is one of my all-time heroines. So it surprises even me that last night’s show was the first time I’d seen her play solo.
It’s also the first time I’ve been to the venue and it turns out to be the basement of an old church and therefore has a great deal more character than your average box shaped indie club. There’s a good, appreciative crowd in as well which certainly helps the atmosphere.
Kristin is currently touring as part of a 5 piece band, 50 Foot Wave plus the McCarricks. The result is quite a contrast from the sand blasting approach of the Wave and a decent sound allows all elements of the band to be heard throughout.
Given that the strings are an important element of the songs that’s critical and it turns out to be a terrific show. Principally based around the new LP ‘Learn To Sing Like A Star’ that record’s strengths are well illustrated by the fact that the highlights are spread evenly between the album and the more obvious older crowd-pleasers. Best of the lot is ‘Winter’ from the new LP which is probably even more awesome than on the album. If the Arcade Fire can pull off something as good tonight they’ll be doing well. ‘In Shock’, ‘Sugarbaby’ and ‘Under The Gun’ are all terrific and illustrate that Kristin is more than capable of producing good pop tunes.
Of the older stuff, ‘Your Ghost’ is a totally different beast to the 50 Foot Wave ‘cover’ of a couple of years back whilst one of my highlights is a song I don’t recognise. It’s probably ‘Your Dirty Answers’ a song I do own but must confess to not being as familiar with as I should be. Add in a couple of Throwing Muses tracks (including a solo ‘Cottonmouth’ to finish) and this show was everything it should have been.
A quick word too about the McCarricks, who not only contributed vastly to the main set but provided a fascinating support slot. Providing violin and cello over an electronica backing with some good backing films, they weren’t quite what I was expecting but it was sufficiently intriguing that I purchased their new mini-LP on the way out. The only disappointment was that we missed the start of their set. I’m looking forward to listening to the CD properly.
Here’s the original version of one of the set highlights:
Kristin Hersh – Your Ghost
You can buy Kristin Hersh, Throwing Muses and 50 Foot Wave records here. If you’re a newbie and curious then ‘Learn To Sing Like A Star’ is an excellent starting place.
Finally thanks to the Vinyl Villain for his hospitality which not only saved me returning to Fife on a horrendous night but has also allowed me to get this posting up today.
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