My Gig Night

Norman Blake, Bernard Butler and James Grant

The second gig in our A to Z musical adventure was ……

Norman Blake, Bernard Butler and James Grant at The Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow.

Date Saturday 28 January 2024

121 Renfield St, Glasgow G2 3AX

Capacity at The Pavilion Theatre is around 1,500.

The Pavilion was designed in the French Renaissance style, much of which still stands today. The seating capacity of 1449 was made up of 677 stalls, 341 circle, 413 balcony and 18 box seats, which incorporated fine Rococo plasterwork on the circle, balcony and box fronts, handsome mahogany woodwork and a marble mosaic floor. Its opulent design lent the 1800 seat theatre an aura of splendour, and those who attended performances would dress in their best to see some of the finest entertainment Scotland had to offer. Notably, the domed ceiling was surmounted by an electrically controlled sliding roof for ventilation; this feature is still fully functional to this day. For more…..

Music and Banter. What more could you ask for?

We’ve had the pleasure of seeing both James Grant and Norman Blake in their day to day guises as a solo artist in the case of James and with Norman’s Teenage Fan Club, though we’ve only seen Bernard Butler as part of this trio.

What is clear though is that this is a trio worth going to see any night of the week. Great music is almost guaranteed, with the three rotating the lead role depending on whether it was one of their solo, collaboration with others in the case of Bernard or Norman’s Teenage Fab Club songs.

Almost as good as the music though is the interplay between each other as they move between songs. Whether its a reminiscence of some form or another about previous gigs they performed together or just some banter between themselves and the audience, it’s well worth listening for.

On this night, they announced they had begun writing songs with the possibility of a future album release …… providing the audience didn’t think the songs were ‘pish!!’ They weren’t and we can look forward to an album at some point in the not too distant future.

The support act on the night was the American trio, Harley Kimbro Lewis. In truth Bronagh, like them much more than myself, though like the main act the interplay between the three of them was quite entertaining. They weren’t bad as musicians either, just not my taste, though to be fair I was probably in the minority given the generous applause they received at the end of each song an at the end of their set in particular.

Couldn’t find a video from the night itself, but here’s a wee tune with Bernard taking the lead from one of the Frets gigs we attended in 2023.

Some of the songs that may be familiar to you from Norman, James and Bernard. Not a shabby Playlist at all if I say so myself.

And here’s a wee tune from Harley Kimbro Lewis. too

A final word on The Pavilion Theatre

My only previous visit to see a musical gig at the venue was to see The Cure in November 1981. It really has to be one of the most impressive venues in Glasgow. Full of character from the moment you enter the building to the decor around the auditorium and at the break between bands, the lovely staff selling ice-cream in trays like the good old days.

Glasgow Jacky

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