The nights draw in. Wind, rain and all that comes with the onset of winter are upon us now. Seeking warm and solace in drink - the modern incarnation of the primitive survival instinct - the Bluesbunny heads down into the basement of the Liquid Ship for another Free Candy Session. Beer in hand, we await the evening's entertainment from Chris Blair, Loris, Davie Boyle and Sparrahawk. At least that was the scheduled entertainment anyway. Before the music starts, the promoter has thrown in a free extra. An actor - a method actor at that - has clearly been hired to take on the role of a Glasgow drunk. Taking his role very seriously, he feigns an alcoholic stupor. So convincing is this actor that those bastions of law and order (that's the Glasgow Polis, by the way) arrive and try to escort him from the building. He sinks his teeth right into the part and even manages to get himself nicked for abusing the officers of the law. A splendid performance that would have made Lee Strasberg proud. Don't act - be the character!
The scene having been set, Sparrahawk takes to the stage. Although the Bluesbunny saw him perform recently at Pivo Pivo, it is no hardship to hear him perform his poetry (yes, poetry!) and excise his social conscience through song. He is a keen observer of the human condition as well whilst retaining a fair degree of compassion. "Frank of the Jungle" highlights this. Nominally the story of a ned - and there would be no easier target for humour - you nonetheless get the feeling that Sparrahawk regards the ned as more of a lost soul than an object of derision. His poetry ("The Drunken Piper", "Feral Children") follows a similar vein. There is a fair sized crowd in tonight and they certainly seem to appreciate him. You can guarantee that the majority of them would not have heard anything quite like Sparrahawk. He makes a refreshing change from your average singer songwriter. Miss him at your peril!
Next up is Davie Boyle. It is shaping up to be one of those nights as he seems to have come in disguise. A most excellent disguise it is too as he looks just like a game show host. However, he has a helluva problem in that he is following Sparrahawk and though his polished performance impresses, he has a hard time retaining the attention of the crowd. Reminiscent in many ways of the likes of Ryan Adams, his melodic acoustic strumming manages to sound warm and familiar.
Following on is Loris. This is a three piece outfit comprising of the Byrne brothers (Peter and Jim) on assorted guitars and the somewhat demented Bruce Ferguson on percussion. Belying their Glasgow roots, they manage to sound more than a bit transatlantic in a Del Amitri kind of way. They have got a friendly crowd with them tonight and get plenty of encouragement and they really put in some effort. Throwing in the up-tempo numbers turns things into a musical melting pot with Bruce Ferguson's manic tub thumping providing to be, well, hypnotic. Besides their own songs, they do what turn out to be welcome retreads of old Hemingway's - apparently this was a previous incarnation of the band - numbers like "Lost My Way" and a decidedly straight cover of "Sunshine of Your Love". The sibling harmonies work well and this band come across like a bunch of demented beatniks who had tried to grow up but had finally regressed. They end with the curiously named "Midnight in my Psyche" and leave to a not inconsiderable amount of applause. Not bad at all!
Last on is Chris Blair. It has been a few months since Bluesbunny last heard him perform so we were, of course, looking forward to hearing him once more and it was immediately noticeable that he had become a lot more confident in his delivery. His relaxed, dextrous guitar style shows the class of a seasoned performer and his songs have become old friends. He seems influenced by Damien Rice but there is also a haunting quality to his singing that takes us back to sixties' folksters like Donovan. Easy on the ear, he should find favour with many on the evidence of tonight's performance with "Anxious" doing it for this Bluesbunny's ears.
Time once more for that long journey through the cold in search of chicken pakora. Bolstered with the courage that only beer can give, we set off in search of food and the inevitable post-modern encounter with public transport.