Ironworks, Inverness, 29 October 2011

With their joint adventures at leading industry event SxSW (South By Southwest) providing the spark for a longer term collaboration, Fence founder Kenny Anderson (King Creosote), and 2011 roster additions, Kid Canaveral, recently embarked on co-headlining tour in support of their single Homerun And A Vow.

Anderson’s excellent Mercury nominated collaboration with Jon Hopkins, Diamond Mine, and the significant visibility generated by such a platform has ensured a sharp rise in stock, a fact reflected in the audience gathered at Ironworks as they arrived in the Highland capital for the second show on their current seven date tour of Scotland.

Kid Canaveral (Image by Al 'Houdi' Donnelly)

Delivered in three parts, the evening began with a short, intimate set from Anderson, proving especially impressive when augmented by young singer-songwriter Amy MacDougall. Among the many highlights was the sparse accordion driven, A Friday Night In New York, and a  gorgeously delicate rendition of Bubble from the above mentioned Diamond Mine, with MacDougall’s beautifully rich harmonies proving the perfect bolster to Anderson’s absorbingly off-kilter delivery.

Edinburgh based four-piece Kid Canaveral are currently one of the hottest emerging prospects in the country, with their fantastic debut Shouting At Wildlife garnering a unanimously positive response across the board. One of the stand out acts on the Scottish showcasing list at SxSW, the band have enjoyed an outstanding 2011, with triumphant appearances across a host of key Scottish festivals including BBC Introducing at T in the Park, Fence’s Homegame, headlining the dedicated new music stage at Belladrum Tartan Heart Festival and goNORTH.

Zipping through a selection of their debut’s impeccably crafted pop offerings, Kid Canaveral were simply superb in places. Especially strong was recent single And Another Thing, the sparkling sing-along lines of You Only Went Out To Get Drunk Last Night, debut single Smash Hits and beautifully burning opener, Her Hair Hangs Down; but to be honest, the quartet never really missed a stroke across an amped-up set packed with pinpoint harmonies and smart pop hooks.

King Creosote

Joined by King Creosote for the closing part of the show, immediately evident was how neat an artistic fit both acts are in the live environment; finding an instant coherence, the momentum continued to build, with an excellent Not One Bit Ashamed proving the pick of the night.

This was a special night which not only connected one of the most inventive and creative Scottish artists of recent times with one of its most promising emerging prospects, but also acted to reinforced the continuing impact of one of the most influential labels around and the culture that exists within it.

© Alexander Smith, 2011

Links

• King Creosote
• Kid Canaveral
• Ironworks
• Fence