Another basement venue. This time Stereo in Glasgow. Another Guinness. This time in a plastic glass. Business as usual for the Bluesbunny. Coming under inspection tonight are Anna Meldrum, the Dirty Hearts, Conor Mason and Cancel the Astronauts.
Anna Meldrum is on first. Pleasing to the ear, her folk influenced vocals would charm the most cold hearted listener. Seeing her later when off stage she is tiny but you would never guess that when she is on stage as she sounds so much larger than life. Rounding off her set with "Start Afresh" (from the Breakout Scotland compilation that is being launched tonight) she leaves to well deserved applause.
Next on stage are Dirty Hearts. Delivering a sort of reprise of the classier end of eighties pop music, they perform with spirit. "Product" seasons their sound with some early Blondie and perhaps some of the B52s as well. The energy of youth is a remarkable thing and "Right Place, Wrong Time" demonstrates that. Steph's voice convinces but it is Jamie's guitar - and his pimptastic moustache - that sells it to us.
Conor Mason is on next. With his combat jacket, he looks like a young Alan Alda. Bluesbunny has seen him before and consequently knows his repertoire well. "Luck" shows that he can carry a tune. He sings in an understated way with little way of drama but there is that something special about his voice that grabs your attention. Of his repertoire, "Falling out of Touch" is one of those songs that you just wish you had written yourself. A very polished performance that gets a good response from the compact and bijou audience. He ends on "Backing a Lost Cause". Sounding much bigger than one man and his guitar should, Conor Mason is no lost cause.
The last act of the evening is Cancel the Astronauts. They sound like they have fallen off the soundtrack to a John Hughes movie (anybody remember John Hughes?) and they have a brightly coloured lead singer in the shape of Matthew Riley. What we are talking about here is a catchy set of polished power pop tunes and unlike so many of their contemporaries, this is a band that works hard to involve their audience. Accordingly, it hard to dislike them so Bluesbunny does not try. "Dead by Christmas" - despite the title - is about as jaunty as you can get. "Slow Dance at the Disco" sounds like another time travel experiment to Glasgow in the eighties but is performed here with that dry humour that runs through so many of their songs. Talking of humour, any band that apologises for playing a new song that has only got one verse is fine with Bluesbunny. After all, if having only verse is good enough for Kylie then it should be good enough for a band from Kilmarnock. A very entertaining band that deserved a much bigger audience than they got tonight.
Cancel the Astonauts did best tonight but Bluesbunny has to admit that Conor Mason has something special going for him. Another four bands and another review done. Full speed ahead to Best Kebab at the top of Queen Street Station for that essential chicken pakora.