She says that I look untrustworthy so my beer will have to go in a plastic glass. Interesting. The fact that I am dressed head to toe in prison officer blue would normally persuade most people of my respectability but not her. Her eyes sparkle at my feeble attempt at a witty riposte but she was always going to win as she had, after all, got me by the beer. It was going to be one of those nights.
It should have been no surprise therefore that the headliner of tonight’s civilised soirée, Miss Irenie Rose, was actually on first. As endearing as always, she duly nudged her way through the songs on her debut EP “Peat Bog” with all the charm and persistence of a Shetland pony on a mission to capture the attention, heart and wallet of any passing visitor. This time though, she had enlisted the assistance of two good and honourable gentlemen to add the necessary musical energy to scale her sweet songs up and fill the cavernous holiness that was Cottier’s Theatre. Throw in a few surprises like bringing on her sister Elsa to add sibling harmonic glory to “Turquoise” and providing free sugary snacks and it doesn’t get much better than that.
Providing the support from the front were Harry and The Hendersons. A band of many instrument swaps, they used their not inconsiderable onstage numbers to take a musical journey from San Francisco of the sixties to Summer Isle with the occasional jazzy flourish highlighting the fact that, despite their casual demeanour, it had taken a lot of hard work to get where they were.
Let there be rain and duly there was. God bless Glasgow and all who float upon her. I wish I had brought an umbrella.