p>It takes a lot to draw this Bluesbunny away from his beloved Guinness but transportation difficulties had made me late and the consequent dash across town had made me thirsty. Very thirsty indeed. When the first Guinness failed to address the situation, it was time for more drastic measures. It had to be a German wheat beer known throughout the land for its thirst quenching effectiveness, Weihenstephaner. A most excellent choice.
Running late meant that the start of the Hero of Canton's set had been missed but this Bluesbunny arrived just in time to hear him announce that he was going to play a couple of covers. In a somewhat surreal moment, he announced that he was about to play Johnny Cash's "Hurt" and he was "gonna really f*cking kill it". He was, indeed, true to his word. "Tainted Love" was given a right good kicking too. As there was no karaoke machine in sight, we must assume this was an example of performance art.
Next on is Thomas Carrigan. As he sings "Death of a Song", we feel that our ears will now be safe for the rest of the night. His youth and consequent lack of experience shows at times but he does a decent line in songs and delivers them with some style. To the delight of the audience, he plays "The Last Time" after declaring that he was never going to play it again. Now, that would be a shame as it is one of his best songs. There is a bit of an Oasis thing going on in his head but he is a convincing live performer with definite potential.
Following on is a duo from Falkirk called Lamens Terms. Sarah plays the acoustic guitar and sings whilst Stevie does a nice, jagged line in Billy Bragg style electric guitar especially on "Not For Me". Their late period indie pop sound suits their songs well and it is no hardship whatsoever to listen to them. They gain momentum (and confidence) during their performance and get, for want of a better word, alluring with Sarah's voice gaining an appealing warmth and charm. Bluesbunny is glad that they decided to make the trip from Falkirk for tonight.
Time to get plugged right into the mains. Liam Ferns takes to stage and delivers an electric performance. Bluesbunny has seen him before but he seemed more focused this time. Mind you, he still looks like he lives on adrenaline but he is no longer rushing his songs. He puts his soul and spirit into "High Heels" and bounces about the stage giving his guitar some real punishment. He finishes with "Unreliable" and you have to remark that Liam Ferns works hard for his pizza (and you get free pizza here, by the way!). Thinking about where we might have seen such manic energy Winnie the Pooh came to mind. Well, actually it was Pooh's sidekick Tigger. Never staying still for a moment, Liam Ferns is the musical incarnation of Tigger.
Finishing things off for the night are Sonar. They start as a solo act and become a three piece and do a nice line in the melodic folk rock style. Or maybe eco-folk as they manage to squeeze environmental concerns into their lyrics. Intelligent without a doubt but not particularly convincing in this venue, this was perhaps not the best showcase for their talents.
Loaded up with imported wheat beer and free pizza, Bluesbunny heads out into the cold of the night. It will soon be winter but there is always time for chicken pakora.