Strike the Colours / Zoey Van Goey / Brother Louis Collective
Stereo, Glasgow
By Elaine Liddle • Oct 22nd, 2009 • Category:
gigs
“IAN, d’you think you could turn the audience down a bit?” Strike the Colours’ guitarist Davey McAulay asks midway through their set.
Slightly threatening rebukes aside, Jenny Reeves and her band seem quietly thrilled that the place is packed to see what they’ve come up with for album number two, Seven Roads.
The crowd is warmed up nicely by a stripped-back performance from (some of) Brother Louis Collective and a cheerful Zoey Van Goey (drummer/singer Matt Brennan is very excited to have a friend from his Canadian hometown in the audience: “No one usually believes me that we have a statue of Robert Burns but now I have someone to confirm it!”).
Reeves is of course well-known to Scottish audience through her input to the likes of The Reindeer Section and Arab Strap among many, and in Malcolm Middleton’s touring band for the past few years.
But with Strike the Colours, she’s the boss – and this showcase proves how impressive a musician and songwriter she is in her own right.
They start out with a gentle song, ‘Cold Hands’, when Reeves is joined on vocals by Craig B (you know, him fae Aereogramme).
From there they veer from dreamy melodies to country-esque guitars and sometimes, quite unexpectedly building up blasts of noise.
Many of the tunes are tinged with a wistful sadness, picked out by
Reeves’ heart-rending violin melodies and soft voice.
It’s hauntingly pretty, never more so than on the last tune tonight,
album closer ‘Rivers’. So quiet in back – this band deserves your
attention.
Elaine Liddle
“IAN, d’you think you could turn the audience down a bit?” Strike the Colours’ guitarist Davey McAulay asks midway through their set.
Slightly threatening rebukes aside, Jenny Reeves and her band seem quietly thrilled that the place is packed to see what they’ve come up with for album number two, Seven Roads.
The crowd is warmed up nicely by a stripped-back performance from (some of) Brother Louis Collective and a cheerful Zoey Van Goey (drummer/singer Matt Brennan is very excited to have a friend from his Canadian hometown in the audience: “No one usually believes me that we have a statue of Robert Burns but now I have someone to confirm it!”).
Reeves is of course well-known to Scottish audience through her input to the likes of The Reindeer Section and Arab Strap among many, and in Malcolm Middleton’s touring band for the past few years.
But with Strike the Colours, she’s the boss – and this showcase proves how impressive a musician and songwriter she is in her own right.
They start out with a gentle song, ‘Cold Hands’, when Reeves is joined on vocals by Craig B (you know, him fae Aereogramme).
From there they veer from dreamy melodies to country-esque guitars and sometimes, quite unexpectedly building up blasts of noise.
Many of the tunes are tinged with a wistful sadness, picked out by
Reeves’ heart-rending violin melodies and soft voice.
It’s hauntingly pretty, never more so than on the last tune tonight,
album closer ‘Rivers’. So quiet in back – this band deserves your
attention.
Elaine Liddle
