The latest gig on our A to Z Musical Tour was ……
The Vaselines at The Strathaven Hotel, Strathaven, Scotland
The Frets concert series is an opportunity to see some well kent musicians play a much paired down set of songs in the very intimate setting of The Strathaven Hotel.
The limited capacity gigs attract a slightly more mature audience often there to see acts who performed in the 80s and 90s when they were very much less mature in many ways. The acts and the audience!
On Friday night it was the turn of The Vaselines to tread onto the stage after a set of finely honed songs by Pete Astor which harked by to his days with The Loft and The Weather Prophets.
Pete, by his own admission, doesn’t specialise in upbeat songs. However, his self deprecating banter, musicianship and genial nature more than compensated for any depressive messaging in the repertoire.
An acoustic guitar. An audience intent on hearing him play. A man at peace with the world. For forty or so minutes he held sway. One nil to Pete.
The Vaselines never seem to take themselves seriously on stage. Sometimes it seems the music gets in the way of an adult themed sitcom. Missed cues. Wrong keys. Even wrong songs. It all added to the entertainment.
However, when they did tune in as one, their set list of songs dating back to the mid 80s was a pure delight.
Eugene got the best out of his ‘acoustic’ guitar. Frances was a delight strumming away on a guitar that at times looked a size too big for her slender frame.
Delicious harmonies, call and returns and collective professionalism were on show as they rattled through many of the tracks that appeared on their albums. Apart from the ‘B side’, which Frances was at pains to blame Eugene for omitting from the album of the time.
Frets Concerts
Like the series in general, these concerts are special for the fact the musicians can make mistakes, share stories from days gone by and still hold the audience in the palms of their hands.
Thank you Pete, Frances and Eugene. A great way to end the working week.
And a special thanks to Douglas MacIntyre who curates these gigs. They help keep musical memories alive. They keep the spirit of live music shining a bright light for us Auld yins.
About the venue
Date Friday 19 April 2024
Hamilton Rd, Strathaven ML10 6SZ
Capacity at the venue is 160
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