Old Fruitmarket & ABC, Glasgow,25 January 2008

THE PROBLEM with Celtic Connections is there’s just too much going on! On Friday I caved into the temptation to cram it in and take in King Creosote and James Yorkston at the ABC before the eagerly anticipated Kris Drever – Michael McGoldrick double bill at the Old Fruitmarket.

Kris Drever

The East Neuk of Fife has become a hotbed of musical creativity through musical community the Fence Collective, and founder King Creosote – aka Kenny Anderson – is currently riding a swelling tide of popularity. Friday found him in superb fettle, wowing an enthusiastic, sellout crowd at the ABC. Playing as a six-piece band, with members including the Pictish Trail on guitar and Pip Dylan on pedal steel, his set was totally compelling and included some early material as well as tracks from KC Rules OK and latest album Bombshell.

Personal favourites included ‘Nooks’ and a cheeky rendition of Hamish Imlach’s ‘Codliver Oil and the Orange Juice’ and the only disappointment was that KC never got out his accordion for some trademark sea shanty sounds. James Yorkston proved a worthy support act, interweaving haunting traditional ballads among his own compositions, and joined King Creosote onstage at the end for a climactic version of ‘Bootprints’.

It was a mad rush across town to make it to the Fruitmarket, where Orcadian singer songwriter Kris Drever was onstage performing his 2006 album Black Water as part of Celtic Connections Classic Albums strand.

Since securing the Horizon prize for best newcomer at the Radio 2 Folk awards, Drever has consolidated his reputation as a rapidly rising star, gathering rave reviews as he goes.

He was joined onstage by a host of star guests, including Ewen Vernal, Andy Cutting, Donald Shaw, Roy Dodds, John McCusker, Roddy Woomble and Karen Matheson. The sound was full and resonant, filling the fantastic space of the Fruitmarket, where an enraptured audience included fans of all ages.

Drever himself came across as relaxed and assured. His virtuoso guitar playing was a joy to the ears, producing a beautiful, rich tone, complemented by the other musicians but equally captivating during the solo rendition of ‘Shady Grove’ that provided the swift encore and drew resounding applause from the crowd.

A short break, then Michael McGoldrick’s mighty big band took to the stage, launching straight into a kicking set of cutting-edge Celtic tunes which set the tone for the phenomenal display of musicianship that was to follow.

Accompanying McGoldrick’s awe-inspiring flute, whistles and uilleann pipes were regular cohorts Dezi Donnelly on fiddle, guitarist Ed Boyd and Neil Yates on trumpet. Rhythms were ably provided by the superb John Joe Kelly on bodhran, Parvinder Bharat on tablas and James Mackintosh on drums, with rich layers added by growing numbers of instruments, including double bass and sax. Donald Shaw played keyboards, and more star guests, including Karen Mathieson and Irish banjo ace Eamon Coyne, continued to join the throng

McGoldrick switched effortlessly between instruments, ranging from breakneck jigs and reels on small whistles, to a slow air on the wooden flute, which when juxtaposed with soulful sax provided a real ‘hairs on the back of the neck’ moment, and drew a delighted response from the crowd.

The pace picked up again immediately, with a rollicking set getting even those at the back of the huge space and on the balconies bouncing. The tunes came thick and fast, it got hot and sweaty and the audience loved it. The broad grins on the faces of the musicians packed onstage and final rafter-raising whoop from the audience at the end said it all.

© Catriona Ross, 2008

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• Celtic Connections