The Imagineers/The Limoncellos/Julia Doogan/Alan Frew - Su Casa - 15/11/12 (Ayr)

I'm not sure if it's a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, but it was nice to be back in Su Casa again.

The light, warmth, and smells of coffee and cake emanating from the venue were akin to a positive siren song that was guiding us from the cold and dark evening outside to the safe haven inside.

So who were we to decline the offer.

Once seated it wasn't long before Alan Frew opened up the evening with a short, but exquisite set.

I haven't seen Alan perform recently, and while I have always been impressed with his material, voice and musical ability, it seemed to be that there was another little touch of magic this time out.

Something that you can't really put your finger on.

It's possible that his recent short tour of the north of Scotland has revitalized him, but whatever it is I'm sure most would agree that this was a set that displayed Alan's many talents in a very flattering light.

With some new material that he has been working on with Mark Rafferty on the horizon it is certainly looking like the future is full of promise.

Unfortunately any bonhomie that Alan had woven into the room was swept away with what could have been the most unsatisfying performance I have ever seen in Su Casa.

Julia Doogan, while technically singing well, looked as if she would rather be anywhere else other than with us.

If there was an award for heavy sighs and the dramatic rolling of eyes to convey a degree of disgust then this was a gold medal performance.

Any talent that Julia has was vastly over shadowed with the poor attitude that was on display.

For all intents and purposes it felt as if the audience had arrived just in time to miss an argument, but had to sit through the uncomfortable aftermath that's heavy with the fallout.

This was also the second time that I have seen her perform a without a set list, and it seem obvious that having one would have allowed the performance to flow far better than it did.

Without it we were left having to squirm as she half spoke to herself about what she should play next.

It was an awkward appearance and one that I wouldn't like to see again.

When this happens you sometimes have to ask yourself if your own lack of enthusiasm is misplaced, unbalanced and even unfair, but as the night progressed others commented similarly so make of that what you will.

Following on from Julia were local band The Limoncellos who were making their debut in Su Casa

It was a performance that they would probably rather forget as one technical issue led to another and another, but their set was nowhere near as bad as they may think it was.

I would personally rather see a band that can bring a bit of passion to a performance, even if they are stumbling through difficulties, than a note perfect but sterile one.

There was plenty to get your teeth into as they stumbled through their set, and that's a good thing.

If a band can maintain the attention of an audience even when things aren't going well then consider what the reaction would be if they nailed it.

In among a few original they placed a couple of covers that displayed a range of influences.

First was some Springsteen and then the leftfield choice of Radiohead.

Both appeared to polarize the audiences opinion of the band, but once again I could argue that this is a good thing.

At times a band should challenge those they are there to entertain and that's certainly what The Limoncellos did.

Hopefully we will be hearing more from this band in the near future as there's something there. 

Maybe a spark that could be lead to something rather special.

The Imagineers, who finished the night, are still knocking it out of the park for me.

With each performance they incrementally get better and there's no sign of them slowing down or dropping the ball.

The semi acoustic style suits them and they effortlessly ran through all the what can now be called fans favourites as well as slipping in some rousing renditions of both Shackles and Albert Einstein that both appear on their latest ep.

That they aren't gracing the charts and playing here, there and everywhere, across the globe is a mystery to me.

Few would disagree that they are an act that tick all the boxes.

They write excellent songs that are designed to get everyone to clap, stomp their feet and sing along to, their level of musicianship is beyond reproach, and damn, they even look good.

Record label executives should be in the car park bare knuckling it out over who gets to sign them up.

When I think about some of the bands that have had bidding wars surrounding signing them it just seems ludicrous that The Imagineers aren't one of them.

Give it a month or two to see what happens though as the new ep is once again what we in Scotland would commonly refer to as 'a belter'.

I have high hopes for these guys and I'm not looking to change my mind any time soon.

Tomorrow better belong to the Imagineers. 

The Noizy Indie Social Club festival of music - 22/09/12 (Cumbernauld)

A theatre is to my mind a magical place.

Its entrance should be a doorway that leads us to a world that equally entertains and educates, a safe haven where stories wild and wonderful are conjured from the air itself.

It should be the gateway to an alternate reality that resides on the other side of the looking glass, the landscape that lurks behind the furs in the wardrobe, or even a world that exists in a galaxy far away.

Anything, and everything that can be imagined, should find some sanctuary within its walls, and this yin and yang of reality and fantasy is well worn by the Cumbernauld Theatre.

A place that I had never been to until this day.

From the outside it's nothing more than a run of old working cottages, but once you enter its small doors it challenges your perceptions, and Tardis like, opens up to a vast space that accommodates a full seated theatre, a smaller studio, two bars and more.

There's no grand foyer, and no gilded pillars, but instead a fully functioning theatre that could lend itself to making any dream come true.

A truly wonderful space for the people of Cumbernauld.

On this day it wasn't to be hosting a theatre production, but instead the debut of the Noizy Indie Social Clubs - hopefully annual - music festival.

We had arrived keenly anticipating The OK Social Club and then The Holy Ghosts to ease us into the day, but unfortunately as we turned up a change in the line up meant that we had just missed The Holy Ghosts, who would be headlining a show in King Tuts Wah Wah Hut (Glasgow), in the evening.

Not an auspicious start for us as they're hovering at the top of my 'everyone must see this band' list, and whenever I'm asked who in Scotland has the ability to break out and garner a great deal of national praise it is these guys, along with a handful of other acts, that spring to my lips.

However another is The OK Social Club who could equally grab a share of national plaudits once their forthcoming album is released.

So the disappointment that I felt was quickly set aside as they powered through their set.

Imagine Julian Casablancas of the Strokes being dragged around the pubs and clubs of Scotland and then being forced to sit down and write some songs.

What he would come up with could possibly sound like The OK Social Club.

Not that they come across like a Strokes tribute act as the sound of the New York boys just adds a bit of flavour to the over all pot pourri of influences that range from rock and roll to traditional rhythm and blues with a nod to a bit of a punk attitude.

I've said similar after I had witnessed their live set for the first time, but the raw ingredients are there for all to see and it does no harm in highlighting them again.

The main thought that kept firing around inside my head was why was a band of this calibre playing so early in the day?

Hanney were next up, and were the first of the acts I was to see that I knew nothing about.

Turns out that they're dance rock hybrid pumping out beats and spitting out lyrics.

Not really my cup of tea, but there's no doubting the talent on display.

The experimentation that the Manchester bands had with dance beats threads its way through their sound. More Black Grape than Happy Mondays, and more Sonic Boom Six than Prodigy, but there's nothing wrong with that, and while I wouldn't run out to buy an album from them, neither would I necessarily feel the need to run to the hills when they play either.

If the personal tastes of anyone run towards this style of music then I'm sure Hanney will provide the soundtrack to a few good weekends.

Vagabond Poets were then to provide a sound that I could more naturally gravitate towards.

This very young band are playing catch up with bands like The Imagineers and the Holy Ghosts, and there not too far behind.

I wouldn't be surprised if there were a few releases by The Coral skulking about their record collections at home.

Regardless of their influences they have a pleasant take on the freakbeat/psych sound, and their mod fashion sense gives them a solid style.

The highlights for me were the original material they played, with the low points the covers.

Folsom Prison Blues is sort of done to death, and while the band were all together on The Gloria Jones/Soft Cell hit Tainted Love musically, the vocals didn't quite carry it.

Not that these two songs served to detract from the over all performance though.

The young men in the band are already displaying far more promise than many others of their age, and it wouldn't surprise me if the next year sees them attracting a great deal of attention.

Next Nanobots beamed onto the mains stage to bewilder, confuse and entertain as they do.

It's all Devo stranded on the Forbidden Planet after they took a wrong turn on the way home from a galactic hoe-down hosted by Ming the Merciless in the restaurant at the end of the universe.

They're the type of band whose fans wear tinfoil, and not just to stop the illuminati lizard men from reading their minds.

The type of band I love.

When you can get two talented people in a room who are also not shy in showing off their fun/unbalanced side, you can always guarantee that you will be entertained, and with the amount of sci-fi lunacy on show I doubt anyone left their performance without an opinion of it.

I should have seen The Puzzlers after that, as I had noted them down as not to be missed, but miss them I did, and instead it was Red Sands who we caught next.

Now I have no idea where or when, but I've seen them before.

It's an eclectic set that they work their way through with many aural turns, but unlike other bands who try to sample so many styles Red Sands maintain a solid thread through it all.

Whether it's psychedelic folk or jangly west coast freakbeat they've pretty much got it nailed down and the harmonies from the band manage to elevate their performance to the sublime.

A fantastic set with the band being well deserving of the turn out they got.

Yoshi, who were playing in the seated main auditorium, were the band that I should have liked, but couldn't.

The problem wasn't with the music, or the majority of the band.

The problem was that no matter how good they sounded they had a band member throw a spanner in the works at every turn due to being shitfaced.

There's nothing entertaining about watching someone forget the lyrics, slur nonsense into the mic and stumble on and off the stage randomly.

His antics only served to distract from the effort that the rest of the band were putting in.

It wasn't funny.

Maybe it's funny if you are in the band - as no one seemed to have an issue with it - but the reality check is that if people want to be entertained in this manner then they can sit at any taxi rank on the west coast of Scotland between midnight and three am any night playing a mix tape of The Beastie Boys and Junior Senior and get a better quality show.

A sad distraction that did the band no favours.

Unashamedly showering plaudits on The Starlets wouldn't really do them much justice.

No matter how long I waxed lyrically about their performance it still wouldn't convey who good they are.

They are the band who provided the first 'you really had to be there' moments.

The cinematic pop that is their stock in trade is a very attractive proposition.

If Scott Walker hadn't gone off the rails then I suspect that he would have washed up on the shore that The Starlets have encamped on.

Wonderful stuff, and so good I bought their whole back catalogue.

The River 68's, who I have been gagging to see since first hearing them, were going to have tough act to follow.

There's no points where the bands overlap musically, but more so I thought on an entertaining level they could have fallen short.

Needless to say I was wrong. The River 68's were everything I expected, and more.

This is the band who are the rockers of this generation.

If the Faces had a party with The Black Crowes then I I'd bet that the bootleg tapes of their drunken session together would sound like The River 68's.

Now this is a band whose singer has some pipes on him.

Southern soul with some rocknroll ramalama only rarely sounds this good.

Big stages better beckon for them, or I'll eat the singers hat, and that was a big hat.

I had high hopes for The Merrylees who were headlining the studio stage, but while I was suitably impressed with their first song I was less so with the second and by the third I had decided it was going to be a set of diminishing returns.

For all the hype that has surrounded them it seemed to me that they only really had one string to their bow and I would have preferred more shading to what they were doing.

I left thinking that my opinion was one that would go against the tide of popular opinion, but while waiting to see The Imagineers I overheard one person say that they sounded as if they only had one song and were just changing the lyrics on it, and I ashamed to say I felt glad that this persons view was met with agreement as it supported my own.

While I'm sure others would disagree the slot would have been better filled by either The Holy Ghosts, The OK Social Club or even local young guns Vagabond Poets.

Finishing the night was of course The Imagineers, a band whose popularity is ascending rapidly, and deservedly so.

With US television appearances tucked under the belts and a global audience waiting for the debut it would be easy to let it all overwhelm them, but there's no sign of them failing to take it all in their stride, or let their feet leave the ground.

Infectiously foot stompingly good they powered through a short set that touched on the songs featured on their debut ep and the more recent double a sided single while providing us all with a sneak preview of some unreleased tracks that did the job in ensuring us that everything is still on track for them.

If you could take a snapshot of any second of their performance it would be heavy with the promise of success.

For many this is the band who could finally put Scotland on the musical map with their talent not being constrained by our nations borders.

It's all in the laps of the Gods, but with luck all the pieces will fall into place for them and they will reap the rewards of all the hard work they have been putting in.

If they do I doubt anyone could lay claim that their success would be ill deserved.

A big thank you has to go out to Brian Deanie for being the person who had the dream and welcomed everyone to the reality of it, and the Cumbernauld Theatre for hosting it with a smile. It would be fair to say that the bar staff, security and everyone involved from the theatre were a credit to Cumbernauld.

Thanks to Jim McKellen of the Puzzlers for his company on the day, and everyone involved with the Noizy Indie Social Club, because in all of my years of participating in live music as a spectator I don't think I have ever attended such a well run all-dayer.

Outstanding. Simply outstanding.

Here's to next year.   

The Imagineers, Colin Hunter, Mike Nisbet, Anna MacDonald, Rosie Bans, Alan Frew - Su Casa - 08/03/12 (Ayr)

Up until this evening I've heard a great deal about Rosie Bans. All positive and nothing negative.
So why was I left completely cold with the performance.
The jazzy piano work and the vocals are of a high standard. There's no doubt she can play and sing, but I can't warm to her.
The swearing between songs doesn't sound natural and the delivery of the songs are all over the place.
I'm bored by the second song and fervently wishing for the night to fast forward to the next act by the third.
Others are far more appreciative, but when a friend said that she though it sounded like Victoria Wood suffering from PMT I had to agree.
Although at other times it sounded like the noises coming from a maternity ward put to music.
Some swearing, squealing and I fully expected to hear her scream 'get this fuckin out of me' and 'you are never touching me again'.
Music is such a subjective subject that I can understand that for some this would have been entertaining, but not for me.
Mike Nisbet was more to my liking.
Kelly reviewed his last Su Casa appearance and commented that she thought he sounded a bit like Springsteen.
I didn't really get that from the performance, but I was impressed with the lilt to his voice and his guitar work.
As an introduction to him I found his set to be finely paced and I wouldn't mind another opportunity to catch him doing a longer performance to get a better feel for what he's doing.
There's so many talented singer-songwriters around at the moment that it must be quite difficult to make an impact, but Mike did.
Alan Frew did a minimal set and while I've seen him a few times now I was well acquainted with the material, but it was to be short and sweet and personally I would have liked to have heard a few more from him.
However Anna McDonald who replaced him at the microphone was a very welcome addition to the bill.
Traditional folk songs may not have been a natural fit to the flow of the evenings music, but taken as a singular performance it was a highlight.
A very lovely highlight..
Her voice is as so clear and perfectly pitched that the material comes alive.
Beauty is in the ear of the beholder, and my ears were beguiled.
For me it was a case of the power of the music and its delivery transcending what is, and isn't, popular.
Anna should be classed as a national treasure.
Colin Hunter was the surprise attraction of the night.
Not that it was a surprise that he was appearing, or that he was good, but a surprise as he very nearly stole the show.
Each time I see him he seems to be exploring different directions and this time was no different with more of a modern folk angle on his music coming to the fore.
It's not just the music that he excels in, but also how he connects with an audience.
He's funny, he's warm and there's something very comfortable in how he communicates with us all.
His performance is a random story accompanied by some very fine music.
I've seen Colin loads over the last few years and even booked him for a few performances, but this was the best I have seen by far.
In fact Colin managed to fill the room with the spirit of what Su Casa is trying to get across.
A sort of communal love of music freely expressed and inclusively shared.
The Imagineers as headliners of the night really had a strong support to follow, but they managed it, and proved yet again that the faith people are putting in them to make a bigger splash in the UK music scene is not misplaced.
Mix some 50's rock and roll influence with some merseybeat, add the cinematic flair of Morricone and filter it threw the romanticized dreams of four Glaswegians and you get The Imagineers.
It's as eclectic as it sounds, and equally as entertaining.
It's a rousing end to the evening and even when they play acoustically the band don't lose any of their power.
Each time I see them I get a strong feeling that I'm witnessing the beginning of something.
I sincerely hope this is true.
Some bands deserve to take that step up to a broader global audience, and the Imagineers are one of them.

In conversation with The Imagineers

Ignore the hype. The reality is better. That's the phrase that comes to mind when I speak to anyone who will listen to me about how good the Imagineers are.
Until you actually get the chance to occupy the same space and time with the band then any laudable praise will fail to live up to what you will experience.
The music will lift you up and in times like these we need a band that has that ability. So I was very pleased when last week circumstances led to me having a chat with Ali of the band who generously gave of his time for the blog.
So I guess this is where I simply say read on.

Mainy - I've got to say, The Imagineers is a great name for a band. It conjures up limitless possibilities, but how would you describe yourselves to someone who hasn't heard the band?
Ali – That's one of the harder questions because our sort of ethos when it comes to song writing is whatever happens in the studio we will try it.
Mainy...and if it feel right then that's it.
Ali – Yeah. So we thought The Imagineers could sort of cover any sort of genre we might try at any point, and then we could see just how far we could take it.
Mainy – When you are playing live there seems to be a sixties influence to what you do, but while that seems to be there you don't actually sound like any actual sixties bands
Ali – We have a few songs that have that sort of three chord chorus, and that was something that really started in the sixties. We are a kind of guitar band that's not too dissimilar to a lot of the bands from then like the Kinks and the Beatles to so I can see where the comparisons can come from, but we're also very influenced by modern music.
Mainy – So what modern music has been influencing you?
Ali - We really like the Arctic Monkeys just now, and there's lots of good bands getting aired on 6Music just now.
That's a great station.
Mainy - The Arctic Monkeys are one of those bands who I think came up fast. Sort of got thrust straight into the public eye, and then dropped out just as rapidly as they went from being a singles band and became more of an album band.
They write fantastic music, but there's not so many great singles any more, and in the long run that's seems to have benefited them
Ali – I think it was that third album they did that.
One and two were full of pop songs, but on the third they probably felt more secure and did their sludgy show gazing music and then latterly they brought it back up with an album with a few more obvious singles on it.
Mainy – The album angle is something that I consider will bring them more longevity as a band, but what is preferable? A couple of hits in the charts or decades of albums, I mean what would you prefer?
Ali – Well I've always wanted to do this as long as possible so probably an album, but you want any album to have a mood to it as I've always grown up listening to specific albums and you think 'this has got a great atmosphere to it' and you want to lose yourself in it.
I want to be part of making something like that.
I think everyone in the band has that aim.
Mainy - ..and when is your album coming out?
Ali – We have plans for recording it soon, but you know how that goes. Best laid plans and such, but we are moving the the right direction.
Mainy - You feeling good about it?
Ali – Yeah. Really looking forward to it. We are going to do this properly.
Mainy – It's the only way to do it really.
Ali - Obviously it's a dream for most to work in a job/earn a living from something that they are passionate about.
Do you think that sometimes people lose sight of that in music?
They tour, release records, and then ego gets in the way and they lose sight that they are actually living their dream.
So how do you manage to...well I guess, keep your feet on the ground? (At this point increasingly more people were starting to mill about the bands tour bus looking for autographs and photo opportunities)
Ali – That sort of comes from the environment. Most artists appear to start off very humble and then people will say 'you've really got something with your music' and then as time goes on and that becomes more and more common they start believing it themselves as it becomes their reality, and if they have money coming in then it takes them further away from the life they had before.
Mainy – So if The Imagineers reached that level then how would you deal with it?
Ali – How would I deal with it? Well I've got quite a simple life at the moment without a television or internet in my flat just so that I can focus on writing.
So I'd try and keep that the same and hopefully that would keep me grounded and I could just keep on reading and writing.
Mainy – Taking this in another direction. Do you feel that music appreciation is separating at the moment?
I find that there's so many people who when they talk about music are really talking about the X-Factor and such.
The people who appear on shows like that aren't necessarily wanting to create art. They seem to simply hunger after fame.
It's irrelevant to them if they become a presenter, dancer, juggler or singer.
Making music isn't there thing, as opposed to those who want to make some sort of artistic statement through the creation of it.
Ali – The X-Factor seems to be the first show that pandered to that instant gratification of people wanting to be somebody.
The talent doesn't appear to be something they think about.
Although the persons chosen artistic field probably provides them with the same feelings as someone in band, and I suppose that's pushed as much as they can, and then it probably crosses over in the middle somewhere and there will be generalizations on each side.
Mainy – Well there always are, but I've felt that over the last year things seem to be breaking apart slightly.
There are people who are generally into that instant gratification.
The music is less important than following the latest band gracing the cover of a magazine for many, and then there are others are who are more drawn to the actual music, and going and seeing the bands live.
It's that sort of separation I mean.
It's not something new, just something that from my point of view seems to be a bit more obvious at present..
Ali – Within the whole sort of song writing process you can look and see that the most credible artists are still doing three minute pop songs and that will be because, whether they admit it or not, they are writing for a public,
Mainy - ….......by creating a song that can maintain an attention span?
Ali – Yeah, and that's where I see the crossover being. That middle ground, but there's all different strains of authenticity within that.
Mainy - It's a strange word authenticity isn't it?
Ali – I know. You could say Lady GaGa is authentic and when you play one of her songs on an acoustic guitar it stands up as a good pop song.
Then if you took someone like Leonard Cohen I'm sure you could take the melody and add it to Lady GaGa's production and you wouldn't know.
Well apart from the lyrics being about Christ or something as Leonard has that niche going on.
Mainy – He does seem to have cornered the market on theology in music.
Ali -. Ha. He likes his Christ.
Mainy – Maybe it's because he's getting older and he's starting thinking me might meet him soon.
To get back to The Imagineers though. When you are playing venues like Jollys, and the sizes of crowd that it can accommodate, is it difficult to imagine the next step up.
Ali- In a way we have been getting the best of two worlds.
On a night like tonight it's great because it's sort of ramshackle, and the sound is pushed to extortion. People can jump in and dance around while we're playing a stomper of a song which I really like, but at the same time we are doing support slots for bigger artists and we've had that distance from the crowds to.
So we have had both things, and we keep going back and forth between them. So we can imagine doing one or the other as we are currently experiencing both.
They both have different advantages and disadvantages though.
Mainy – In a recent conversation I had someone was expressing a bit of a disheartened view of how their career was progressing and I was saying that often success has little to do with talent, but instead being in the right place at the right time, and the way I described it to him was that you could be the best surf guitarist in the UK, but if the surf guitar sounds aren't in vogue then it doesn't matter, and while that rather sad it#s sort of true.
So keeping that in mind and considering you have an album coming out are you guys just crossing your fingers and hoping to be in that right place at that right time?
Ali – Yeah, well all we can do is go with the feedback of how audiences have treated us. If they like it live then hopefully they will like what we come out with because with the record we want it to sound as live sounding as possible.
We did the demo ep a year ago and I don't think it does the live show justice. I think it's a lot more processed and produced, but with this we hope to get both.
Try and get that live edge.
Mainy – Are you putting out the album yourselves?
Ali – I think we will go with self publishing with our management. It's in the early stages just now.
Mainy – always best to keep it close to yourself. License it of needed.
Ali – I don't think we will look got a major though. I don't see any advantages in this modern age.
Mainy – I would agree. Everything is changing drastically ever month. Look at the mega-upload situation. They were stating a label that would offer bands 90% and then the FBI kicked their doors in.
I don't think that you need to delve into conspiracy theories to consider that the two are linked.
If their plan had went ahead then every successful artist would have went there as soon as their contract with their major was up.
The whole world is actually changing and music is right there to take and I suppose that in itself is a problem to.
How do you make music and then make money off of the fruits of your labour?
Ali – I suppose the money is now definitely in the live sector now isn't it. All the downloading is like a backlash to how the music business has treated people for the last forty, or more, years.
The prices, the reissues, the bonus tracks, a band jumps labels so you get the best of the previous labels years released
Mainy – The bonus CD with tracks from the albums sessions that didn't make it to the album. Or in other words the songs the band didn't think were good enough for the album.
Ali – I found that with the LA's album recently. I just got into them as our manager was always recommending them as he worked with them back in the day.
Mainy. That one singular great album.
Ali – It's amazing isn't it, but there's tracks at the end added and I can't imagine the band being happy with them.
It's these negative aspects that record companies have that just make you want to do it yourself.
Mainy – So you know what to do now. Destroy everything that you never want to see the light of day before someone decides it's ideal for the bonus tracks on the reissue of the albums anniversary release.
Ali – That's very difficult to do in this digital age.

Check out the Imagineers or contacts them here - http://www.the-imagineers.com/

Dirty Edition 2 - 11/02/12 - Kilmarnock

Dang. On arrival everyone is raving about The Holy Ghosts.
When the praise comes hard and fast from every single person you speak to then you know that you have missed something special.
It's a damn shame that I literally failed to catch their set by minutes, but the name is now lodged away and I'll be making the effort to see them sooner rather than later.
So instead of The Holy Ghosts my nights entertainment started with Jamie Keenan who is probably better known as the drummer of La Fontaines.
Now Jamie is another artist who everyone raves about that I hadn't seen, but within a few minutes it was obvious why his reputation precedes him.
His set of skewed covers are a joy to watch.
From his twist on 'You canny shove yer granny aff the bus' that forever more is going to spin around in my head as 'I canny get ma granny aff the drugs' to his rousing take on Hamish Imlach's 'Cod Liver Oil and the Orange Juice' I was paying rapt attention.
There's something casually intimate, but also joyously inclusive about Jamie's performance.
It could be a mate providing the soundtrack to every house party you've attended.
From the rowdy bits when everyone is singing along and the neighbours have called the police, to the point when everyone has crashed out apart from the guy who is going around shaking cans to see if he can get a credible drink from from, ( Aye right. Don't look at me like that. We've all been there) it seems plausible that Jamie has a song that will fit the occasion.
I like the La Fontaines, but if given the choice between a ticket to see them or Jamie then I'd snatch your hand off for the one with Jamie's name on it.
You could sum up his performance as it's all good fun until someone loses an eye.
Rose Parade were billed to be the next band on, but due to their guitarist being a tad under the weather there was a last minute change and lead singer Ari did a solo set.
As he is such a big part of Rose Parade it doesn't mean that much has changed.
There's a softer approach to the material that doesn't sound better or worse than the full band experience, just different.
With an album in the process of being recorded it was interesting to get to hear a few new songs and try and imagine them as they will ultimately sound.
The main impression I got was that what we can expect is more of the same.
A natural progression from the 'Grace' EP.
I'm actually getting a bit excited about the prospect of a full length from Rose Parade (Stop sniggering at the back there) and Aris performance managed to keep that excitement on the boil (Okay. Now you're laughing out loud).
Matt Scott, who followed Ari, is difficult to review now.
It's nothing to do with his material or his delivery, but instead all about trying to strike a balance as I know him.
Too much praise and the accusation of pushing a mate could be levelled, or too little and the accusation of holding back would be equally expressed.
So how do you get around that?
Well the truth is that you can't, so you have to just plough on and try and be as honest as you can be.
So in the spirit of direct honesty I have to say that yet again Matt played a blinder.
As I've mentioned before there are elements of everyone from Dylan to Springsteen, Cohen to Waits. Frankie Miller to Jim Morrison in the songs Matt writes, but they all just flavour the music and lyrics rather than overpower them.
No matter how many influences you can hang your hat on it is still Matt Scott that is the central hub that they all spin around.
From a conversation later in the evening I'm aware that he had a few new songs that he was wanting to try out, but as they have a softer tone to them, and the audience were rather loud with their chatter, he decided to swap the set about a bit and stick to some material that people were accustomed to.
On the one hand it means that we got the familiar that we are accustomed to, but there's a part of me that feels that we may have missed out on something special.
Hopefully the new material will be outed soon in an environment that's more conducive to to a bit of appreciation.
Maybe I need to get a t-shirt printed that says 'More ears, Less mouths.'
The Imagineers were the band whose name was on the lips of most people attending, and that's not something that surprises me.
With a burgeoning reputation as the band who will make it big in 2012 people are keen to see what the fuss is about and they are very rarely disappointed.
Regardless of how loud the hype becomes the band have the musical ability, the songs and the attitude to deliver on all that is promised.
There's a melting pot sound that encompasses decades of quality music and it's all bolstered with a great deal of the bands own character.
Over the years I've seen quite a few Scottish bands who have hinted at possessing that certain something that a wider audience would appreciate.
They've had the songs, but maybe not the attitude, or they have plenty of attitude but fall short on delivering the music.
There's often just a bit of the jigsaw missing, but The Imagineers are ticking all the boxes just now, and with an album on the horizon it is entirely possible that the stars are going to align for them and they will be in the right place at the right time.
I doubt anyone who witnessed their set here would claim that they were undeserving of a much higher profile, and if anyone does then they need their hearing checked.
No honestly. If you disagree then get to the doctors as it could be something serious.
Headline act of the night was Tommy Reilly who I have to say I was rather ambivalent about seeing, but he was quite literally outstanding.
If there's an award for smashing preconceived opinions about an artist then Tommy gets my nomination.
I'm not even sure what I was expecting, but what I got was a real eye opener.
It feels like I've discovered a brand new talent.
There's something very comfortable about how he interacts with a crowd, and while that will win over a certain amount it's his songs that really pull you in.
After winning the Orange Unsigned competition it must have been a bit of a roller coaster ride for him, and it's to his credit that he has managed to keep his eye on the ball and develop as an artist.
For proof of this all you need to do is lend an ear to a song like 'six billion people' that will be appearing on his next album.
(There it is there from the always excellent Tenement TV Sessions below).
To say that I was impressed would be a understatement that would be up there with 'that Adolf was a very naughty boy'.
This was to be my road to Damscus moment of the night.
Up until seeing Tommy live I was quietly impressed, but I hadn't really wrapped my head around just how good he actually is.
Since this night I've revisited his debut and second time around I've fell in love with it.
His performance was the perfect ending to what in hindsight was the best line up I have ever seen grace a venue in Kilmarnock.
Now how often can any music lover claim that on their adventures in music that they have been to a multiple bill line up that has delivered on every level and didn't lag or disappoint for even just one minute.
Up until now I certainly couldn't have claimed that.
So mucho gracios to all the performers on the night and David Hanvey for arranging the evenings entertainment.
Now I'm left with a rather serious problem.
How is that, in its totality, going to be matched in Kilmarnock?
Answers, as they say, on a postcard.

The Imagineers – See as I say

I've written five reviews for the Imagineers ep and deleted them all.
The reason being that none of them are doing the band justice.
Every time I think I've managed to put into words how good this is I give it another listen and a bit more is revealed and there I am back at square one.
In admitting my lack of skills to wax lyrical about this I'm hoping that I can convey how bloody good it is.
One minuting I'm getting the feel for a Scots version of the Courteeners, then the Coral creep in before Scott Walker springs to mind.
Then there's this, and then that.
My head is spinning with ideas, but if I put them all down then they might sound like sensory overload spewing out on the page.
I'm up to my elbows in reference points, but none of them are really going to imprint an idea into your head.
There's some 60's psychedelia filtered through the madchester high. There's also the sound of rock and roll drifting into the Liverpool docks that led to the musical landscape of the UK changing forever.
This is like trying to pin the tail on the donkey, but the donkey has left the building and no one has told me.
If they can keep this level of quality up over the course of a full album then they are going to blow peoples minds.