OOTB 23 – 4 Apr 2002
Our website is now up and running at www.outofthebedroom.co.uk . One to add to your favourites, I think. I’d advise that you check it regularly to keep in touch with new developments.
On a foggy evening in Edinburgh town, musicians and music-lovers congregated in the atmospheric surroundings of the legendary Waverley Bar.
Nelson & I got the ball rolling with ‘Braveheart Beggar’ – the amount of beggars in Edinburgh seems to have increased since I started playing this song (my attempt to write from the point of view of a beggar). I don’t think I’ve anything to do with that but you never know. ‘Celebration Blues’ was also played and these two songs will feature on a CD which will hopefully be released sometime soon.
Norman stepped up Alison- and Graeme-less this week and allowed himself free reign on his mighty musical canon. ‘Jerusalem’ was written a couple of years ago when the situation wasn’t so desperate in the Middle East as it is now. Writing from the perspective of ‘ordinary people’ in the city, it’s a fascinating imaginative trawl through daily life there. ‘New Eyes’ is a sweet and pleasant song with an off-kilter monologue in the middle about getting used to the new eyes he’s literally found. A favourite of mine, the droning, desperate, delightful ‘This Horse Is Dead’ ended a very fine set indeed.
Charismatic Swede Olle (pronounced Oo-lay) treated us to his unique array of musical delights from his classical guitar. The haunting Swedish language song ‘Nymph’ (‘about making love, sort of’) again displayed the whale-calling bass notes of his very fine voice. ‘I Would Love To Be Loved’ is the kind of love song Olle is very comfortable playing and I’m very comfortable hearing. It’s simple, open, honest and a lot of other qualities that are not that often associated with these nights. ‘A Girl Like You’ had everyone in the room tapping their feet as it was so upbeat and catchy. This man knows how good pop songs work.
Rosie from New Zealand stepped up to the keyboard again. She played a completely different set of songs and I enjoyed her even more this time around. ‘The Golden Boys’ is a very contemporary piece about men who ‘never grow up, they only grow old’. Are all men like that? It’s a thought. ‘It’s Nice To Have You Around’ is an affectionate love song about a boyfriend who’s on the dole borrowing tenners and hates waking up in the morning. ‘F**k and Run’ (some words don’t get through e-mail servers) was a deeply funny song about a man who loves one-night stands and hates commitment, co-sung with roadie Fritz. Sample lyric: ‘my flatmates answer all my calls/they always say I’m not there’. Look out for their band, Frak.
Stewart followed up his performance last week with one equally as deft. He opted to stand in the middle of the room which is entirely fine. He has a style that’s very jazzy and the melodies do dip and soar like some miscellaneous breed of eagle. I bought Stewart’s CD ‘Solicitude’ and it’s very nice, although possibly a break from the intense stream of consciousness lyrics at times might be an option.
Johnny was the first debutante of the evening. His fresh-faced melodies and positivity were a breath of fresh air. ‘Standing At The Edge’ was a song about someone on their own, struggling, and Johnny gave it laldie. ‘Holy Therapy’ was a secular piece picturing summer evenings and reminded me of a male Lisa Loeb without the glasses. ‘Waterfall’ was about standing in a waterfall, as you do. Good performance, Johnny.
Next up was Freeloading Frank. ‘Bloodshed On The Way’ is an extremely poignant work at this moment with the escalation to war in the Middle East sadly continuing. There was a musical demonstration on Saturday which I unfortunately missed. It’d be interesting if the fox-hunting young woman who inspired ‘A Woman Called Scum’ (from an advert in ‘Private Eye’) actually saw Frank do the song. I’m sure she’d be converted or should that be perverted?
Vaughan was another newcomer and another New Zealander who’s heard the word on the streets about OOTB. He had an interesting hat and a Captain Beefheart beard and an unusual, very pleasing quality to his voice. ‘Keep Your Mouth Shut’ had a great riff and if not sure what it was about but it sounded fine. ‘The Man Who Slept For 20 Years’ was simply awesome. His only wish is to be put back under as he doesn’t like the world he’s woken up to. ‘He wanders through the bargain bins to find his favourite band’ was a line that stuck. ‘Tiny Miracles’ again had one or two religious references (there was a spiritual feel to tonight’s proceedings) and the line ‘I’m not killing goats or burning chickens’ would have pleased my poultry-loving cohort Nelson.
The winner of the raffle prize, a candle that plays ‘Happy Birthday To You’, was David O’Hara.
One more thing, watch out for The Edinburgh RUSH, a collaboration between Kin, Full Moon, Acoustic Underground and Big Word amongst others will be on between 27th May and 3rd June. More to follow but keep your diaries free.
Jim