Out of the Bedroom 700 review – Thursday 5th September 2019
Running order: Jim Bryce, Startled Bee, Roy McIntosh, Tim Wylie, Lisa Rigby, Queer Faith and TheMany, Tina Louise Avery, Neil Matthew Fox, Will B, Patrick Steel, Mike McKenzie, Tommy Danbury, Freeloadin’ Frank, Mally Smith, John Porro, Owen Clark, Burnam J Wood (Arran), James Igoe.
James Igoe was host this evening and Malcolm McLean was on sound desk. Venue was Woodland Creatures.
A special night, this was Out of the Bedroom 700 and a Mega Mic. This meant that each act had only one song each (with some doubling up at the end as we’d run out of different acts). The doors to the back room were open, back and front, so that the whole pub could hear. All in all, a special, memorable evening celebrating the enduring appeal of OOTB.
Jim Bryce: ‘Hyena Hop’ – about colonialism by the “British Lion” by someone on the receiving end. Topical in this time of colonial fantasies? Amusing, educational and, above all, highly entertaining.
Startled Bee: ‘Take Me’ – a request from the ‘Bee to be taken on an adventure. Quality, crafted songwriting and some very nice high notes.
Roy McIntosh: ‘Car Boot Sale’ – sung with much gusto from the legendary Fifer. I never knew that a car boot sale could be quite so intriguing.
Tim Wylie: ‘St. Bernie’s Tavern’ – about pubs that act as community hubs closing down. Poignant. Great to see Tim, who used to run OOTB during and around the Kilderkin period, back on the scene.
Lisa Rigby: ‘Nothing Without You’ – playing the mandolin, Lisa treated us to one of her more melancholy numbers. Sounding as beautiful as ever, this was pure class from the Perthshire legend.
Queer Faith and The Many: ‘The Source’ – singing to a backing track and with a new look, they performed majestically. Very sad that they will be moving on after seven months in Edinburgh but hopefully back to visit us in the not-too-distant future.
Tina Louise Avery: ‘Once Upon A Time’ – a newer, mellow song. Sounded fresh and I’d like to hear it in the usual enclosed back room as the ambient pub noise made it difficult to listen properly.
Neil Matthew Fox: ‘Angels In Disguise’ – demonic picking, a dark ballad that Nick Cave or Johnny Cash would be proud of. ‘Songs of Neil Matthew Fox’ being released next Thursday (12th Sept).
Will B: Poetry – ‘Terra Firma’ and ‘Intermission’. A key person in the OOTB story and ‘Intermission’ is perhaps the key poem.
Patrick Steel: ‘Weeping World’ – a relative newcomer to OOTB but feels like he’s always been with us, such is the universal and familiar nature of his songs that neatly fit. NIce slice of melancholy and a beautiful picking pattern.
Mike McKenzie: ‘Love Like This’ – Mike brought his own keyboard to play this transcendentally beautiful ballad about finding true love. Excitingly, Mike is in the final of BBC Scotland’s singer-songwriter of the year award.
Tommy Danbury: ‘Glorious’ – laid-back acoustic mellowness from Tommy who originates from Los Angeles. All dressed in black, this reminded me of classic Oasis.
Freeloadin’ Frank: the OOTB legend played one of his signature songs ‘Magic Cornflake’ which was delivered with much gusto using his unmistakable, unique bass voice. Other than me, Frank was the only survivor in the room this evening from OOTB 1.
Mally Smith: ‘Little Bullet’ – first debut of the evening, we were delighted by Mally’s beautiful, tremolo-laden voice. Acoustic folk picking of the highest quality, and a strong hook for the chorus. Sweet.
John Porro: ‘Summer Storm’ – about “dispersal” and thunderstorms, this song had a strong arrangement. A gracious circular riff which descended in a most satisfactory way.
Owen Clark: ‘Fairy Tale’ – debut #2 of the evening. Written for the Lossie Folk Festival, this was a strong, unusual sound. It reminded me a little of mercurial, local icon Dominic Waxing Lyrical.
Neil Matthew Fox (reprise): ‘Birdsong’ – started with this excellent short poem, the first time Neil had performed poetry live. ‘I Didn’t Know How To Say I Love You’ – from his new album being launched next Thursday (12th). Resonant, emotional and a deep note that Johnny Cash would be proud of.
Will B (slight return): our premier poet came back with ‘The First Casualty’, about the struggles of war. Followed by ‘The Feast of Stephen’, surely too early for the mention of the season?
Burham J Wood (aka Arran): Final debut of the evening was from Arran, giving us “a song about lying”. One of the few musicians to adjust the graphic equaliser settings on the house guitar, I knew he would be a player! And he was; dynamic picking for this epic foot tapper.
John Porro (return of the King): ‘Wide Eyed Moon’ – back for a second bite at the cherry, John used his harmonica for this perfect, sultry end-of-evening song.
James Igoe: ‘Cowboy Song 2’ – with most musicians having left, and various interested parties coming through to the back room to listen, I played this old chestnut from my back catalogue. It went down well, thanks folks!
Jim Bryce: as the book may have said, the last shall be first and the first last. Jim was both first and last on this momentous evening. ‘Five Year Old’ – about growing up, this was genuinely emotional. The lyrics were written and sung from the perspective of a young child. Daddy would not allow him to buy a cigarette machine and he lost his doggy. ‘Breathing’ – Mellow, beautiful, affecting and a great way to take us forward to OOTB 701 next time.
Review: James Igoe