You’ve got to be philosophical about it. I mean, finding yourself in a tunnel – literally The Tunnels – underneath Aberdeen isn’t what you might reasonably expect at the end of a working day. However, greater forces were, in all probability, at work although that did not explain the lack of draught Guinness.
Music soothes the soul so they say and Edinburgh’s Kat Healey most certainly soothed the soul. An eminently civilised performer influenced by folk music, she balanced confidence with an appealing vocal delicacy that bodes well for her forthcoming album. She might well have been first on but it was clear that she was destined to be the icing on the cake.
Next on was the local talent and Leanne Smith set up about proving that she knew what subtlety was and, despite being hampered by what sounded like a hired for the night drummer, exuded an endearing charm. Of course, you need more than charm to succeed in the music business today but it would be a cold hearted person indeed that was immune to the warmth of her performance.
Making some serious noise were A Plastic Rose. Those who might have been expecting another pretender to the indie rock crown would have been disappointed for this was a band completely unaffected by the tired mediocrity of that genre and they were instead energised like a deranged Duracell bunny into something of a hybrid with proper rock music. The presence of a positively animated bass player was an obvious clue to their musical direction and that direction was up, most definitely.
Following such a band would never be easy and the immensely polite 1930s tried their best to meet expectations. Although their set gained momentum as it progressed, a pretender to the throne of Mumford and Sons was unlikely to challenge a band with tactical nuclear weapons like A Plastic Rose. A worthy band but outclassed tonight.
Rounding things off were We Came From Wolves. A band blessed with remarkable energy, their set was beer friendly and, if this had been a Friday night, then they would have had an easy win. That said, We Came From Wolves still knew when to go large with their Scottish indie pop on steroids sound deserving of more Facebook friends than an episode of Hollyoaks. Allied with that was their wickedly bleak inter song banter that marked them out as a band doing it because they wanted too. I’ll raise a glass to that attitude anytime.
As the song goes – won’t you stay just a little bit longer? I’m afraid not. The call of chicken pakora is too strong.