Perthshire Amber Festival
Janet Murray didn’t throw her knickers on stage
It would take a brave reviewer to slate Dougie Maclean. I knew this the minute I walked into the auditorium at Perth Concert Hall for the Caledonia Concert, the finale of the Perthshire Amber Festival.
With a career spanning more 25 years, singer-songwriter Dougie (as he is affectionately known to fans) is often described as Scotland’s “national treasure”. He’s the Christy Moore of Scotland, with a bit of Tom Jones thrown in for good measure, and that was worrying me; while folk fans are usually more civilised, there was so much love in the air, I was half-expecting someone to lob their knickers at the stage.
The Caledonia Concert marked the end of the ten-day festival (headlined, amongst others, by Eddi Reader, the Michael McGoldrick Trio and Julie Fowlis) and featured musicians from around the world who have recorded a ‘Dougie’ song at some point in their career.
While it might sound like an ego trip, I was happy to buy into the idea that it was part of Dougie’s commitment to sharing live music (mostly his own, it has to be said )in inspiring venues across his homeland of Perthshire. That is what his annual festival, now it its five year, is all about.
Sadly, the line up for a finale concert was disappointing. Dougie, a dead-ringer for Francis Rossi from Status Quo in shades and cowboy boots, kicked off the concert with an acoustic number. After the synthed-up treatment of his songs at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre gig a few days earlier, it was great to hear his fantastic voice, without a keyboard wailing or drum machine spluttering in the background.
Swedish four-piece Calaisa, made up of two sets of siblings, provided some eye-candy, but little else. Their brand of instantly forgettable folk pop (think Girls Aloud meets The Corrs, but nowhere near as good) was deflating. And it was a poor reflection on their talents; behind the predictable melodies and cheesy lyrics (‘Hey girl, get on that plane, get in my car and drive away’, being one such example) were some great musicians.
Australian four-piece Sunas were a breath of fresh air. With violin, bodhran, mandolin, whistles and strong vocals from Sarah Calderwood , theirs is a unique blend of soul, gospel and folk, with a celtic twist. At the pre-show VIP reception (for which Folkingcool managed to wangle an invite), a publicist let slip there would be ‘a few surprises’ at the concert. The first, it would seem, was Dougie joining Sunas on didgeridoo for one of the songs. While it raised a few laughs from the audience, Travelling Man was the weakest number of the set and the didgeridoo a bit annoying really.
Nashville born Eliza Lynn has always been a bit “country” for me, but seeing her live was an eye opener. Switching with ease from the bluesy Lazy Day to the soulful ‘Pulling of Tides’ she demonstrated her vocal range versatility as a singer. I’m sold, anyway.
The biggest disappointment of the night was Frances Black, once labelled “the sweetest voice in Ireland.” Visibly struggling with nerves, her opening number Wall of Tears was flat. There was a false start on her unaccompanied song Legal Illegal and, while it was spirited performance, she sang so fast, it was impossible to evoke any atmosphere or tension. Black is a wonderful storyteller and Rathlin Island, a song about the place her father was born, was well introduced and executed, but after few more slips in her duet with Dougie (This Love Will Carry) I felt as if I’d been watching a half-decent singer in a pub session, not an award-winning performer.
The show ended with a couple of variety show style collaboration from all the performers (all Dougie’s songs, of course), including his best known-song, and Scotland’s unofficial anthem, Caledonia. The audience didn’t need much encouragement to join in with the singing and if it wasn’t a health and safety hazard, there would surely have been a few lighters waving in the air.
The second ‘surprise’ of the night – an onstage firework display – turned what had been a fairly enjoyable evening into a bit of a damp squib. As smoke billowed into the auditorium, the audience filed out to the tuneless wail of the fire alarm.
Sadly there was no knicker-lobbing and with the exception of Sunas and Eliza Lynn, I wouldn’t be in a hurry to see any of the acts again. The untimely fire alarm meant there was no encore. So I’m going to be brave and admit that I wasn’t too disappointed.
Janet Murray
