Some people may think Celtic Connections is just a folk festival.
It’s not, it’s more a celebration of music.
And when there is talent on show like tonight there is good cause to celebrate.
Opening tonight’s double bill was Kris Drever, Roddy Woomble, serial collaborator John McCusker, – with guests Heidi Talbot and Boo Hewerdine – playing songs from their Before The Ruin album as well as a couple each of their own solo material.
Considering their other bands, Drever’s LAU and Woomble’s Idlewild, I’d expected something a little more raucous from their combined talents.
However, apart from one foot-stomping fiddle tune from McCusker their set stayed very much down tempo.
What I didn’t expect was how well their voices would work together,in a set full of gentle melodies, contemplative lyrics, intricate instrumentation and some undeniably beautiful songs.
The Burns Unit evolved out of the Burnsong arts project, which took the combined talents of Chris Difford, Kim Edgar, King Creosote, MC Soom T, Michael Johnston, Mattie Foulds, Emma Pollock, Future Pilot AKA and Karine Polwart and locking them in a big house in the country to write songs together.
And those resulting songs are not quite what you’d expect them to be.
For one thing they have a big sound. Songs written on an epic scale.
Some songs also took some rather strange and unexpected turns.
For example, one began with Emma Pollock on lead vocals and Kim Edgar on piano and backing vocals. It started off in the same sort of territory as the song ‘Fortune’ from Emma’s solo album but ended like some sort of bizarre eastern European show tune.
Some of these twists and turns were a little overwhelming but they made for a unique, exciting and refreshing musical journey.
Happily this indie-folk super group are about to record an album.
If they can capture even half of the energy on show tonight this will definitely be one to watch out for.