No Guinness. No Guinness? These are not the words that Bluesbunny ever wants to hear. They rank right up there with "We can still be friends" (by the way, I am so glad that I slept with your sister now). Anyway, tonight Bluesbunny is at Mono in Glasgow for the launch night for Wilson Tan's new single "Big Dog". For a bit of background, Mono is a vegetarian restaurant and a record shop and a venue. There is even a notice on the lager pump stating that Fosters is not vegan. Interesting trivia but more importantly it would not be mistaken for lager either…
Fortunately Bluesbunny was not the first to find out that there was no Guinness. Frontman for Glasgow alt-country band The Scuffers, the redoubtable Gav Wallace, had identified the issue and recommended that a suitable alternative called Sam Smith's Stout that would do the business. Musicians know about such things.
Warming the room up tonight is Woodenbox. Bluesbunny has seen him a good few times before and we know that he will deliver the goods even when performing solo as he is tonight. "Draw the Line" is a lyrically clever song that echoes the difficulties of balancing things in life. Apparently he has been getting airplay on Radio 2 as well and you can see why. There is that folksy feel to his singing but there is plenty of heart in the words. He serves up "Oban" and you have to note that this is just one of those songs that haunt you. You hear it and it will stay with you. He gets the applause and he deserves it.
Next up are Adopted as Holograph. Bluesbunny is unfamiliar with them and is none the wiser by the end of their set. They fail to introduce themselves or their songs and are further hampered by the efforts of their own sound guy who successfully manages to render them inaudible. As far as the Bluesbunny could work out, this band is a bit Edwyn Collins meets Chris Isaak but final judgement will have to wait for another day.
The main event takes to the stage. It is Wilson Tan time. It is also pretty clear who the crowd have come to see. Now this is an interesting band. There are country music stylings and indeed country style accents but this is, in essence, a funky dance band. We are talking Northern Soul with a subtle hint of reggae here disguised with a sugar coating of Nashville. Settling in to a foot tapping groove, you can understand their appeal. This is the kind of music that lifts the soul. It is also worth noting that they are a proper band with vocal duties getting shared in a remarkably seamless way. Of course, the crowd give their biggest cheer to the new single "Big Dog" and Wilson Tan feed them a cracking version of it. That hits the mark without a doubt.
Wilson Tan and Woodenbox delivered the goods tonight and Bluesbunny made a new friend called Sam Smith's Stout. A successful outing.