With a song in my heart. That’s how the song goes isn’t it? There’s nothing like a Rodgers and Hart moment whilst walking down the wet streets of dear old Glasgow town to spur a man to wield his pen. Of course there might well have been some deeper meaning, some divine intervention that would lead me down the stairs to the basement of the Roxy 171 but I like to think that I was avoiding a showtune. Then again, no one can be as handsome as I and also be smart enough to know the quintessential difference between philosophy and a portion of chicken pakora.
So, with pen and paper at combat readiness, it was time to ponder the worth of Laura Corrigan. Despite having to endure an audience that was largely devoid of any form of manners or even common courtesy, she exuded acoustic warmth over her short set with her neo folk vocal stylings sure to find favour with those with traditional musical tastes.
Erin Todd, on the other hand, was altogether more urban – and I mean that in a good way – with her song writing and instrumental virtuosity providing much proof of her musical merit. Her neatly assembled songs rarely strayed from the mainstream – which is no bad thing if you seek commercial success – but her keyboard driven “Keep Breathin’” showed that the sunbed of greatness was ready to give her a tan.
Some performers are like circus ringmasters when they are on stage. Rosie Bans was one such performer and she soon tamed the animals in the audience. Benefitting from a musical education and thus actually knowing what syncopation is, she adopted a direct approach to audience manipulation through the kind of slick songs and slap your face banter that easily marked her out as a proper entertainer and that’s a rare thing to see in Glasgow these days.
Job done, as they say.