I can’t recall the last time I saw a harp – and I mean a real harp and not a regression therapy induced memory of the worst lager ever invented – on the stage of Nice ‘n’ Sleazy but there it was and playing said harp was Josie Rose. Blessed, as she was, with an affinity for matters ethereal and accompanied by two gallant gentlemen more than happy to allow their considerable musical dexterity to be relegated to a supporting role, she turned her youth and innocence into a subtle yet compelling selling point.
Providing something of a counterpoint were The Glass Roots and, with an attitude to performance that bordered on the gallus, they simultaneously provided proof that the ghost of the glories of Nashville had visited all three of them and thus provided them with the inspiration to write songs of commercial standard. Anji Darcy, overcoming audience accusations that she was actually from Coatbridge, moved her voice, and accent, towards the nirvana of authentic Americana accompanied by a, no doubt stolen from Argos, suitcase full of confidence and passion.
Perhaps better known to the audience, at least to those who happened to know the difference between slightly sleazy indie rockers The Foxes and the cutesy indie popster Foxes, was Nigel Thomas and, even if the lack of the companionship of a band was always obvious, he had clearly read from the book of the great English pop songwriters and therefore learned that intelligence has a deserved place in his words of musical wisdom.
Last but by no means least was Cara Mitchell. Curiously unassuming in her approach to performance and with an endearing fragility to her voice, she took her songs, often motivated by the dark shadows of alienation, and made them both wholesome and complex. Matters of the heart and soul clearly prey on the mind of Ms. Mitchell and that bodes well for her future and, if there is still justice in the world, her EP “Afraid of The Dark” will reach enough receptive ears to guarantee the appreciation of her conviction.
The cat’s in the cradle, bananas are overrated and it always rains on a Thursday. Glasgow, as always, has excellent drainage.