It seems a strange thing to say, but tonight I realised that The Free Candy Sessions has never lived up to its name. Think about it. When was the last time you were offered plentiful amounts of confectionary at The Free Candy Sessions? Talk about sweetening the deal. Anyway, the real point of these words is to tell you about the music...and away we go!
Jer McDade was first up. For those who don't know him, Jer also sings for the Surrogate Pink Floyd Show. There's a hint in there towards his diversity although tonight was much more flavoured with Dylan than Floyd. Jer was at ease onstage and managed what many people struggle to do at the 'Ship - keep the audience from talking over the act. "Pennystretcher Madonna" was a particular favourite. Expect to hear more of this man.
Next was big-haired Liam Cairns complete with guitar and occasional harmonica. This young lad has a peculiar way of using his on-stage nerves to his advantage. As much as he did seem to forget his own song titles, he was good enough to tell us, mid-song, the forgotten title. Having gigged rapaciously over the past three years, Liam is slowly but surely developing his own fan base. A fine example for all budding singer-songwriters to follow.
Terry Balfour is another cutting from the great tree of Glasgow singer-songwriters. Better yet, you can tell where he's from by his singing. Boasting a strong, if slightly effeminate voice, it didn't take the crowd long to warm to Terry's act and "Killing The Name" was as good a song as you'll hear from Glasgow's current alt-folk scene. To say that Terry's performance tonight was rather bare is no put-down for it was a fine set. Go, see him!
Last came Palace Ballet in what was an almost acoustic performance for the lads. Now, here is a band that knows how to play together. Drawing on numerous foreign influences - whether musical or literary - if it wasn't, ironically, for their vocal harmonies, you'd swear they weren't Scottish. Their sound was further enhanced by Terry Balfour who helped out on a couple of tracks. It's not as you would usually see Palace Ballet but this performance will have turned more than a couple of heads. An engaging and exciting performance.
Well, that's all for tonight. Now for some sleep. Until next time.