They say that there is a message in the middle of the bottom and you can’t get nearer the bottom than the ever decaying basement of Stereo in dear old Glasgow town. Yet, there was indeed a message to be found there and it was duly delivered by Anna Sweeney and Cortnë.
Cortnë first. One female voice and four young guys who had all clearly benefitted from a musical education showed, with an occasional musical flourish, that the beginning is not as important as the end and successfully nudged themselves towards the goal of gaining audience affection. Given that the bass player was fuelled by the nectar of the Gods – or Buckfast to those of you who do not live in the Holy Land that is Lanarkshire – it was remarkable that all activities related to moral depravity were avoided but, these days, innocence is a novelty in itself.
For reasons unknown, I have long wished to use the words sparkly and blonde in the same sentence and tonight Anna Sweeney gave me the opportunity to do so. Of course, being sparkly and blonde isn’t enough these days to garner success but, fortunately, Anna Sweeney has more than those two attributes in her favour and, despite playing to an obviously friendly audience, it was no more than logical to deduce that she also has the stage presence to stamp her songs upon the hearts of anyone who would care to listen.
The message? The music business would have you purchase the past again and again but, down there in the dank basements in this no mean city, you will find something new and sonorous forever growing towards the sunlight of fame. Anna Sweeney’s songs and daylight were made for each other.