Laura Carswell, I Khant, T.E.Morris - 13th Note, Glasgow

Posted in SHOFT on Wednesday 5th October 2011 at 11:10pm

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It's that time of year, once again, when I find myself in Glasgow for a little while. Having planned one or two musical things for later in my stay, I was content to see how this evening panned out. Faced with a choice which I'm just not used to, I decided to kick my stay off with some quiet, acoustic music. It also meant a chance to visit The 13th Note again, which is always welcome, and as I relaxed with the newspaper during my pre-gig pint and listened to the selections from the near-legendary jukebox, I reflected on recent experiences elsewhere - and how much more civilised live music seems to be up here. In the event this was a wonderfully haphazard gig - and a real labour of love, with handmade CDs available on the door, a disappearing soundman, and one of the politest and most respectful audiences I've been part of for a very long time. That the organiser - also performing tonight - managed to pull this together seemed unlikely - but in the event it all turned out very well indeed.

First up is Laura Carswell from Paisley, and part of folk band The Magick Circle who by a quirk of coincidence I'm expecting to see later in the week. Laura trades in simple, direct and insistent compositions which, despite her background in folk music have the knack of turning into quiet, acoustic pop songs without warning. Moving from introspective, carefully constructed verses into clarion-call choruses, there's a little tension and drama in her delivery which keeps the audience rapt and surprisingly attentive. Song titles are a little hazy but "I Don't Blame You" has hints of a bitter edge - not wanting to play around anymore, but with perhaps a sense of resignation which is reflected in the bluesy, robust delivery. I'm also reminded of former-Glaswegian Lonely Tourist when Laura sings about the internal conflicts of the music business, with an uncompromising observation of "...the price you had to pay/for all that shit on stage" - and I'd love to know who is this about. Mid-set, a well chosen cover of Cat Power's version of "Sea of Love" is delivered raw and soulfully. Having consider this at some length, I'd say this one has the edge because, whilst I love the original, I'm sometimes put off by the overtly laconic edge in Chan Marshall's take. New material abounds in tonight's set, and by her own admissions nerves come with it. But this is assured, honest and beautifully direct music. I look forward to seeing Laura in a full band setting soon.

Next up is the humble, self-effacing and disorganised I, Khant who has also, it seems, doubled as the promoter and organiser of tonight's show. When on target, he delivers lyrically complex, if rather downbeat acoustic songs with plenty of dramatic shifts and clever melodic twists. With a low, reflective voice which occasionally leaps with emotion and stretches for impossible high notes, I'm moved to think of an acoustic Twilight Sad perhaps? There are even some brave acapella moments. Like all of these Glasgow acts, everyone is of course in everyone else's band, and I, Khant adds a kind of quantum take on this by peforming a cover of his own band's song which seems to be called "Momo". Moving to a piano for this, he delivers a sparse clipped melody and impenetrable but rather mournful lyrics. Picking out minor notes he intones with what seems to be genuine dismay "I'll be stuck like this for a while". Some of the material feels like a demo for a fuller band treatment, and I find my mind filling in the spaces and wondering what other projects I, Khant is related to. A quick internet search is fruitless, so I'm going to have to dig deeper.

Finally, Tom Morris steps up. Keeping his donkey jacket on due to feeling grim this evening, he shows no signs of this in his performance. His bluff, northern voice translates into a surprisingly mobile falsetto at times with almost no sign of effort. I'm familiar with Tom only from his vocal duties in the sprawling, dramatic post-rock outfit Her Name Is Calla, and a couple of band compositions feature tonight in stripped down form. What these solo songs share with their full-band counterparts is a sometimes ambitious, sprawling structure and Tom's vocals which which stray from a whisper into a remarkable howl. The songs are complex, heartfelt, consciously well-constructed nuggets of pop music, encapsulated in the familiar singer/songwriter format, but hardly limited by it. In particular "Survivor Guilt" is literal and painful, and when cut loose, Morris's voice is big, characterful and compelling. I'm also struck how matters of faith and religion recur in the lyrics here. Thrown in for good measure is a surprising cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" remembered from childhood, however it's clear than many of the audience tonight don't have enough years on the clock to share this recognition. Finally "Could Have Been A Fire" closes - a low key, high pitched ache as Tom shuffles off the stage, almost apologetically. With something like six self-released EPs of his material out there somewhere, this is going to require lots of further investigation.

Shuffling along the rain-soaked street back to my base for the weekend, I reflected on how I always go home with a list of music to investigate, and all kinds of new leads to follow up on. It's rare that I wander off from gigs closer to home with the same feeling these days, and again I'm struck by Glasgow's ability to both nurture local talent and to attract performers from elsewhere. It's going to be a busy few days, and this evening was the perfect way to kick things off.