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.
