Is there any true gig-goer out there that doesn’t get absurdly excited by the sight of a double bass?
The answer, of course, is no. If upon spying that formidable upright you don’t get a little musical chub then what are you even doing here? A double bass promises a level of musicianship and live intimacy that, without exception (in my experience at least), never misses. The Langan Band (double bass proudly stage-right) continued this streak, and then some.
Previous winners of Celtic Connections’ prestigious Danny Kyle award, the Langan Band embody all that CC strives to be; resolutely traditional but with a modern edge, niche yet accessible, welcoming to veterans and neophytes alike. The band consists of the eponymous John Langan on guitar and a very pleasing percussion rig of his own devising, Alastair Caplan on violin and Dave Tunstall on that marvellous double bass. While Langan takes on the lion’s share of the vocals, all three combine on numerous tracks for some sublime harmonies.
After a lively support slot from Holiday Club the atmosphere in the Oran Mor on Friday 19th January was rife with anticipation. The Langan Band took to the stage and wasted no time in getting the party going, wisely front-loading the set with four of the best from new album ‘The Plight o’ Sheep’. ‘Leg o’ Lamb’ and ‘The Bastard Hills of Totterdown’ are two tales of memorable nights accentuated by drunken excess, firmly establishing the vibe as the best pub band in the most raucous fishing village pub you’ve ever seen. ‘Come When I Call You’ and the stunning ‘One Whole Year’ are more sober in tone, exceedingly heartfelt yet not mawkish, and no less incendiary live.
After four new tracks it was time for a classic to keep the OGs happy. It was time for ‘Auld Jimmy’. The Langan Band’s ode to a life well-lived is at once pensive and thrilling. Caplan’s blistering violin work combines with Tunstall’s bass and Langan’s guitar and improvised percussion (a tambourine strapped to one shoe, the other shoeless foot working a kick drum pedal hitting the box he’s sitting on) to rouse the crowd into a frenzy. Dancing and jigging break out in a rabble that is singing every word back to the stage, the air becoming visibly thick with perspiration.
Slowing things down for a moment, the band invite highland-native chanteuse Jemima Thewes out for a couple of numbers. Langan asks the crowd, for one of two times during the set, to ‘haud yer wheesht’ to better appreciate Thewes’ ethereal vocals on ‘Winter Song’ and ‘Aquaplane’. The tempo was raised a couple more times before the crowd were asked one more time to pay attention for the big finish, the achingly beautiful ‘Sweetness’.
With that, they were off, to rapturous applause. And then a thing unheard of, a Glasgow band not coming back for ‘One More Tune!’. To be fair, they’d made their point.
Photos: Garry McLean (@mayfoldunderquestioning)