Described by The Independent as “…a genre unto himself…”, Rufus Wainwright is regarded by many as one of the great male vocalists and songwriters of his generation. New York-born and Montreal-raised Wainwright has released seven studio albums, three live albums and a “Best Of…” album in the course of his stellar career to date. The penultimate date of his UK Summer Tour 2018 brought him to Edinburgh’s plush Royal Lyceum Theatre on 2nd July.
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Galloway-based singer-songwriter Zoë Bestel brought her unique and captivating brand of nu-folk to Edinburgh’s Voodoo Rooms on 4th May, as one of two special solo concerts to launch her eagerly-awaited second album, Transience. There was a real buzz in this intimate space, as Zoë Bestel took to the stage and informed us that she would be playing all of the songs on the new album in sequence. This required some switching between tenor and baritone ukuleles between songs, while Bestel kept us entertained with her charming and engaging chat and banter.
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The elegant and stylish Reid Concert Hall at the University of Edinburgh provided a splendid setting for a very special concert on 28th April, when Siobhan Wilson played the penultimate date of her UK Spring tour. She was accompanied by her good friend Matt Rawlings on guitar and the sumptuous strings of special guests, The Demi Octet. This tour was an opportunity for Siobhan Wilson to celebrate the resounding success of her most recent album, There Are No Saints (which a number of music journalists included in their lists of 2017’s best albums) and to showcase a couple of new songs, before starting work on her next album.
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It was never going to be easy for the Glasgow-based chamber-pop band Modern Studies to follow their mesmerising debut album, 2016’s Swell To Great. However, with their new album, Welcome Strangers, the band has delivered a stunning set of beautifully-crafted songs, which reflect the considerable individual and collective talents, versatility and alchemy of this unique group of musicians. The delightfully creaking Victorian harmonium which was central to the sound on the first album takes a back seat here, as the song arrangements become ever more intricate, expansive and absorbing, featuring exhilarating flourishes of strings and brass and other subtle splashes of musical colour. Although remaining deliciously unconventional in structure, the new songs are perhaps more fully-formed than before, revealing more textures and layers with repeated plays.
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With their second album, Dead Reckoning, Edinburgh-based duo The Jellyman’s Daughter have capitalised fully on the rich promise of their eponymous debut album and launched a strong bid for recognition as one of the most vibrant and original young bands in UK contemporary music.
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