And as the world spins a revolution or so more towards the glory that will be an independent Scotland – there actually was Yes/No/Don’t Know beer option in Pivo Pivo for those who wished to mix political commentary with professional drinking – time still remains for the wonder that is live music.
Holding the stage to ransom tonight was Cheryl Brown. She was certainly of the conventional singer songwriter genre but that proved to be advantageous as her sense of the dramatic and her sweet natured songs were nothing if not complementary to her obvious likeability.
Following on were a band from Ayr called Long Day Living and their mostly acoustic set of soft rock songs seasoned with the influence of folk, right down to the fiddle, demonstrated the poise of band that knows which way is up and has done so for some time. Although rambling was clearly on their mind, the night was going to last long enough to allow them to make an impression that was both positive and professional.
Beckett, both younger and blessed with the kind of enthusiasm that comes with low mileage, made some crowd pleasing noise that duly showed them as worshippers at the altar of good natured indie rock and, as if driven to read passages from the bible of the three minute pop song, they compensated for their lack of chords with a gleeful directness that could serve them well in the future.
Similarly commercial were Empire By Day and, drawing upon much that had gone before them, they proved that being from the east coast was not the disadvantage that many might assume. Although Empire By Day never strayed far from what you might expect, their respect for harmonies was more than enough to protect them from accusations of being just another Dairylea cheese triangle lost in the supermarket that is the modern music industry.
The lights come on and it is time to go. And go you should as there is an entire industry out there waiting to sell you fried food.