TWO nights, six hours of music per evening, nine venues no more than five minutes’ walk from edge to edge.
Those were the dimensions of the Music Showcases at creative industries festival XpoNorth in Inverness last week and, with close-on 70 acts to choose from, no two people could likely take the same path through the programme.
Within the first half hour I’d travelled from the slackeresque alt-rock of Aberdeen’s Wendell Borton to the gentle clarsach waves of teenage Highlands singer-songwriter Imogen Islay Hay. Variety remained the spice of listening life from then on.
A hefty XpoNorth playlist could get under way with the see-saw chords in the chorus of Mainline by Posable Action Figures; the rock solid riffage of Coraline by We Came From Wolves; the half-spoken, half-sung Self Help by Bloodlines; the Killers-style arena-sized tune that is Goths In Hot Weather by Other Humans; and the eccentric storytelling embedded in Cannibal Rats by Chrissy Barnacle.
I wasn’t totally convinced by the invited European acts who were present, however. Belgium’s LGTL was funky to the core but, at the end of the day, suffered the visual letdown of a bloke with a laptop on a wooden table.
Germany’s Foxos were more dramatic but only within a Eurovision/X Factor song formula. Sweden’s Chris Klafford, looking like a hipster mountain man, boasted the most memorable sugar-and-sand voice of the entire event but his emotion-soaked songs had the dynamics of a 1980s Euro-rock ballad.
More than a few Scots proved, from one end of their setlists to the other, that they’ve got what it takes to climb up the ladder.
AmatrArt layered guitars and time-signature shifts to the max like a post-rock Radiohead; Indigo Velvet built their tropical pop through wonderfully mobile bass and drum rhythms; while Ded Rabbit looked good on the dancefloor with indie-punk charisma and a belter of a repertoire.
Breakfast MUFF brought attitude, social seriousness and a sense of fun to the party; and Catholic Action had the look, the polished craft and, above all, a sackful of tunes. In a way, I’d been spending two nights in search of melody, harmony and superior songwriting, so a full set in the Ironworks from reformed Isle of Lewis indie guitar-poppers Astrid made for a textbook climax.
It was a joy to hear Willie Campbell and Charlie Clark’s voices intertwining once more and to note that their new songs, particularly Poisoned Reaction, are at least the equal of everything that went before.
Videos of selected XpoNorth Live! coverage are streaming at xponorth.co.uk
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here