Tommy Reilly/Tragic O'Hara/Little Fire/Chloe Simpson - Su Casa - 28/07/12 (Ayr)

Is this the winds of change happening?

Two gigs in Ayrshire last night that I know of, and both sold out.

In Kilmarnock the newly reformed Ideals played to a packed Bakers, and according to all early reports it was in colloquial terms a 'belter'.

Meanwhile in Ayr Tommy Reilly stormed Su Casa with some able support from Tragic O'Hara, Little Fire and Chloe Simpson.

While it's sad that in both cases people were being turned away at the doors of the venues, it's also something that I am quietly pleased about as for once the audiences were pulling their weight and making the effort to sample what is on offer from the many talented people we have playing for us around this area.

Speaking of talented people that neatly brings me to Chloe Simpson who was opening the night in Su Casa.

This was the second time that I have seen her play and it was a very different performances than the previous one.

Last time there seemed to be a pop angle to how she was promoting her songs. Akin to someone like Kate Nash. Yet on this outing it's a more modern folkish take on the same material.

Even now in the cold light of the morning after the night before I'm not sure what one I prefer as both are equally as entertaining.

It's not an issue though, as at eighteen years old Chloe has plenty of time to experiment with her own material, and very obviously has the talent to take it in whatever direction she wants.

There's no doubt that it's going to be interesting keeping tabs on how she is getting on.

While a great deal of precocious talent has graced Su Casa it would be fair to say that along with other young women - like Megan Blyth and Anna Sweeney - that Chloe is up there leading the pack.

Following on from Chloe was Little Fire who was playing his second gig after being involved in an accident that left him out of commission for a while.

I'm not sure if he was just enthused at being back playing, or felt that he had some ground to catch up on, but this was a muscular performance with him attacking his material with renewed relish.

Everyone is still waiting with anticipation for the release of his debut album, and performances like this are raising the bar on what to expect.

Yet personally I feel quietly confident that he will deliver on all that is promised.

There's a warmth to his material that's an attraction, it brings people in, even when it is being lustily pushed forth into a crowd as it was here.

It's that spark of a connection that is the sign of a performer having something special, some attribute that not all artists have regardless of their virtuosity, and that something special can't even really be quantified, but Little Fire has it and he proves it every time that he picks up a guitar and sings.

It feels like a long time since I last seen Tragic O'Hara play, and that's probably because it is.

So this was a welcomed opportunity to reacquaint myself with his oeuvre.

I'm not sure if this was a case of absence making the heart grow fonder, but it was as if I was hearing him with fresh ears, and what I was hearing could be described as a master-class in how to entertain.

Solid songs, unbridled talent and an easy, but humorous rapport with the audience made this a real stand out performance.

Along with his own material he threw in his take on the Cypress Hill track 'Hits from a bong that features a nice segue into 'Son of a Preacher Man' while accompanying himself with the aid of a loop pedal.

It all seems so effortless, but of course it isn't of course.

Big surprise for me was the de-constructed 'Jump On' that features a higher pitched vocal performance.

The reworking of it manages to mould it into a whole new song that exists separately from the original recording. Both of them excellent.

In fact lets just say that this was pretty much a faultless performance, and it was one that I thought Tommy Reilly would have a problem following.

Fortunately the night didn't end on an anti-climax and Tommy - who seems to be the shyest most self effacing man in music - delivered a fantastic performance of material old and new.

It's the new songs that really shone though. That's not to take anything away from the older material, but it seems glaringly obvious that Tommy has went from being a very good songwriter to a great one.

Take 'Six Billion People' as an example. It's quite possibly a world wide hit in the waiting.

It's a song that sounds like an acoustic take on a late seventies power pop classic that's bolstered with a chorus that could very easily be transferred to the terraces and roared back at him like an anthem.

Absolutely stunningly good.

Then there 'Shut My Eyes'. A song that if there's any justice should jettison him firmly front and centre of the wider public's consciousness.

I pledged for the forthcoming album that these songs will feature on and while I've heard both from seeing him play before, and revisited them a few times on the excellent Tenementtv, it's only now that I'm feeling that the day the CD lands on my doormat can't come soon enough.

He deservedly left to an enthusiastically baying crowd who wanted more, and while that was the end of the set in Su Casa he will be back in the line ups for both Prestfest and Live@Troon.

Right now it seems that Ayrshire can't get enough of Tommy and based on this performance it's very obvious why.

Links - Tragic O'Hara  Little Fire  Tommy Reilly  Su Casa

Tommy Reilly - Pledge Project

I've got nothing to do with Tommy Reilly.

When I say nothing to do with him I mean I have nothing to do with him in a business capacity.

I've never spoke to him, and truth be told I've only ever seen him perform once in a live setting.

I did see some of the Orange competition on the television that he won.

It was alright.

That's about it though.

The time I did see him live I was very impressed though, and because of that experience I was keen to hear the new album that is about to be independently released.

So today I went to pledge music and pledged a tenner for the CD.

At the moment he is at the 31% of the amount he was aiming for and there's 36 days to go.

Now I'm personally disappointed with that.

So in the nicest possible way I would urge anyone with a spare £8 to get their finger out and get pledging as the songs I heard live that will be on the album are damn good.

Why add extra cash to the cost of grabbing a copy months later from a middle man?

Go and do it now.

Not tomorrow. Now.

Or if you're skint just now then tomorrow or the next day is fine.

In fact any day of the next 36 is actually fine.

Just don't forget.

Here's what Tommy says.

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.