Tuesday night gig: Charlotte Cornfield with support from Lorkin O'Reilly, The Orange Trees

 Small venue gigs are the ones for me really. It's the intimacy with the act you've gone to see nothing beats it really. That and the wonder and surprise of discovering wonderful support acts who you might not have discovered otherwise. Those damn streaming algorithms don't always come up with the goods. Music is from the heart not numbers after all.

 It was Tuesday night at Sneaky Pete's and there were three acts to see. I bought my ticket to see the headliner Charlotte Cornfield and knew nothing of the support acts Lorkin O'Reilly and The Orange Trees. 

The latter were first up, a duo with a bossa nova influenced set of pop songs with a darker tinge but that jazzy lightness that transported me back to the early 80s when there were similar sounding bands popping up with engaging bittersweet lyrics. That's what we had tonight and yes, I fell for that light jazzy style and the lyrics with a twist. 

Lorkin O'Reilly I have to admit I'd never heard of before seeing the bill. Originally from Leith now living in New York he was a revelation. well picked guitar and a gritty world-weary voice told tales anti-social neighbours, dysfunctional relationships with a unique poetic take on these vignettes of frustrated lives. The lyrics like pins startling you with their sharpness. Echoes of Townes Van Zandt and Blaze Foley but this was something altogether different and captivating. I could have listened to him forever. He was joined on stage by Melanie MacLaren for an unscheduled duet (she'd flown in from NY) on 'Clearance Aisle'. I'll be listening to a lot of Lorkin O'Reilly from now on. 

I always like it when those singer songwriters from afar who I've found on streaming services (the algorithms sometimes work) play a gig in my hometown. It makes this big world seem much more of a village. It brings us closer; the troubadour is in town. Charlotte Cornfield hails from Toronto and here she is with a drummer and bass player on a small stage in Edinburgh playing songs from her album 'Highs in the Minuses'. They've been touring for a year, and this was the last night of that long tour, so the band dynamic was tight as they've lived inside these songs for so long. There were so many standouts on the night and here's some 'Skateboarding by the Lake' (or skate, kick thing...listen to it!), 'Headlines', '21', 'Drunk for You'. These are well drawn lyrics, and they are matched with melodies and tunes that dig into your psyche. And you wake up next morning with them embedded in your head. If you haven't heard Charlotte Cornfield, then you should. Better still catch her live.

All too soon it was over, and I was out into the night mulling over what I'd just seen. Small gigs, small gigs. They are the best.

A Big Time at the Usher Hall: Angel Olsen with Tomberlin

 It's always interesting, to me anyway, how you find yourself connecting with an artist and their art. Some it is immediate and with others it takes a time. A slow burn, I guess. That's what it was with finding my way to Angel Olsen. She turned up in my streaming suggestions and I tried but didn't quite get it though thought I should (get it). 

It was her duets with Sharon Van Etten that pushed the door open just a bit. And then there was 'Big Time' - I dove right in loving its huge melodies. She flippantly called it less bangs more twangs. Maybe that was the hook that got me in I don't really know. I think there is an honesty to that record that cut through any doubts that I might have had. 

And so, I found myself at the Usher Hall to experience that album and more at first hand. Angel didn't disappoint. Those huge songs with their gorgeous melodies filled that big big room. One thing I wasn't expecting was her humour. She wisecracked her way through the set including a hokey intro to 'Shut Up Kiss Me'. That one of many stand out moments of the evening. Her encore was an unexpected (for me) cover of 'Without You' - yes that one (Nilsson/Badfinger) calling support Tomberlin on halfway through to duet on the closing verses.

So, Angel, it's taken me a while but I'm there now and thank you for the music, that evening.

******

Contrary to what I have written about the journey to discover, to 'get' Angel Olsen it didn't take long at all to get Tomberlin. From the moment I heard 'idkwntht' I was there. It was wonderful to see her centre stage with just a guitar connect so effortlessly with the audience and importantly that the audience actually listened. It's brave for a lone singer to stand centre stage in a room this size not knowing how they'll be received and find an appreciative audience. Tonight, she got them on side quickly with her songs and the audience chatter that often mars support slots was absent. Watch this one for future wonders.