Catching a good support act is one of the real pleasures of going to live shows and this month’s Kristin Hersh gig at Oran Mor provided such an act.
I’d known that Kristin had collaborated with the McCarricks before (indeed they play a crucial part in both the new album and in the live show) but other than that I knew almost nothing about them (including getting their name wrong!). However their slot prior to Kristin’s set turned out to be an excellent half an hour or so with the strings played as lead instruments over electronica backing tracks. There were no vocals but the playing of the two McCarricks (Martin and Kimberlee) filled that gap comfortably.
Of course violin and cello don’t necessarily make for much of a visual spectacle and in line with much electronica (he says as if he has any real experience of these sorts of live shows) the music was complemented by films.
The McCarricks were good enough to persuade both myself and the Vinyl Villain to purchase their new mini-LP afterwards and from that untitled record here is one of the highlights of the live show:
The McCarricks – Letter From Nagoya
The mini-LP also features a cover of Kristin’s ‘Your Ghost’ but to be honest it’s a version which only flags up the lack of vocals. Still the rest of the LP is worth owning so if you wish to do so, you can either purchase the CD at shows or once the European tour is over from their website.
They also have a Myspace here. Buy Kristin Hersh records here.
Tomorrow brings another show – this time the sold out Malcolm Middleton gig at the Classic Grand in Glasgow. Should be a good one and I’m looking forward to it immensely.
