Ironworks, Inverness, 26 May 2009

King Creosote

THE FIRST time I heard King Creosote was when a friend and I listened to his recording with Pip Dylan on the Black Cab Sessions website. We both really enjoyed his voice and the recording stayed tucked away in the back of my mind. A few weeks later I saw King Creosote was coming to Ironworks, and I was lucky enough to see him play.

King Creosote is the founding member of the Fence Collective, a group of musicians based in Fife. Some of these musicians made up the band for this gig: Player Piano on keyboard, Pictish Trail on guitar and vocals, the modest Uncle Beesly on bass and OnTheFly on drums.

I arrived toward the end of Pictish Trail’s own set and enjoyed his last few songs. They were uplifting and energetic and he and Player Piano harmonised beautifully, bringing to mind The Arcade Fire.

King Creosote began his own set alone, chatting to the crowd about the difficulty he had in choosing his first song. Throughout the tour he has been trying to begin each gig with a song relevant to the town he is playing in. For the Inverness gig he chose diamentina drover, and although the relevance was lost on me (probably due to me not being Scottish) it was a beautiful song that allowed King Creosote’s voice to take centre stage.

The band soon joined King Creosote on stage, and together they played an energetic, dynamic set of songs. King Creosote and Pictish Trail offered some humorous banter in between numbers and the crowd, although mostly seated, looked to be enjoying themselves. Pictish Trail has played with King Creosote for six years, and this shared experience was evident as he confidently and keenly contributed to each song as if it were his own.

There was much excitement from me and my friend when King Creosote donned a piano accordion. Although our experience with the often overpowering piano accordion has mostly been negative, they have a certain charm and mystique. As it turns out, the Ironworks is a perfect venue for including the instrument as it is such a large space, and its addition was seamless.

Unfortunately, the gig wasn’t all good. The lighting was extremely basic and at times distracting. It didn’t add to the music or seem at all cohesive with the relaxed attitudes of the performers. And the space was almost entirely filled with tables and chairs, leaving the late comers to lean against the wall or stand somewhat awkwardly near the bar – not to mention discouraging dancing.

Perhaps this is how the Fence Collective like their audiences to be, but given the infectiously toe-tapping songs they played, it just didn’t feel right not to be dancing.

But lighting and seating was absolutely not enough to ruin this brilliant gig. The band performs well, and is enjoyable to watch and to listen to. King Creosote’s voice is beautiful, especially when supported by Pictish Trail. If you appreciate good lyrics sung well, these guys are a must-see.

© Polly Hamilton, 2009

Links

• Ironworks
• King Creosote