Tonight's Free Candy Session - so we are told anyway - is a special Fake Frown Records night. Fake Frown certainly appears to be a very discrete operation as only the first band of the evening mentioned them. Stealth marketing is all the rage these days so it may have been part of some cunning strategy. Anyway, tonight's roster includes Mirel, Paul Docherty and Caragh Nugent.
First up is Mirel. An interesting name for a duo, we hear you say. Taking to the stage is a big guy called Neil on the acoustic guitar and a female singer called Miriam so perhaps the name is made up from a mix of their names. Certainly they produce a tasteful performance with Miriam showing potential of being something of a torch singer in the future but for now we shall be satisfied with some decent examples of middle of the road art rock such as "Brighter on the Day". Things liven up with the additional of a second vocalist bringing a convincing depth and warmth to the performance. Bluesbunny has always been a sucker for vocal harmonies and we think that the duo should become a trio forthwith.
Next up is Paul Docherty. He looks vaguely familiar and somebody tells us that he plays with Glasgow electronica outfit, Sisa. Fortunately he has gone all acoustic tonight and delights us with some fret board virtuosity. Showing confidence and panache, he manages to bring folk and flamenco touches into the mix. His lyrics prove to be personal but the music is pure showmanship as evidenced by the guitar slapping on his final song "Never Gonna Happen". Our Mr Docherty made a few references to using his song writing as therapy and Bluesbunny has to admit that we felt a lot better after his performance. A class act.
Last to the stage this evening is the redoubtable Caragh Nugent. Every time we hear her play we suffer from the recurring fantasy of "Precious Things" and "Pink Carnation" as a double "A" sided 45rpm single. It has to be vinyl and, yes, it has to be pink vinyl at that. Tonight she seems more confident then when previously seen and gives a spirited and charming performance. Our beloved "Precious Things" snaps and snarls across the room, for example. She even gets an encore so it is not just our opinion.
All things considered, this was a pretty good night for live music in Glasgow. Whilst we are none the wiser as to the connection of these performers to Fake Frown records, we enjoyed ourselves (and the Deuchars IPA, of course) and headed off into the night with a skip in our step.