The Glad Cafe, 17 October
The Cowboy Mouth and The Golden Tree
In the previous week, Glasgow’s southside had played host to a double header for the Scotland football team at Hampden. While the results were positive, the performances were pretty underwhelming. Winning ugly is not a term of endearment for any Scottish fan.
On the musical front though, Scottish pride was re-established with sterling performances by both The Golden Tree and The Cowboy Mouth at The Glad Café.
The Glad Café may not be the biggest venue in Glasgow, though it would be in contention for the hottest, but shortly after doors opened, the room was already filled to near capacity in anticipation of Bobby Bluebell and Grahame Skinner taking the stage to deliver a (mainly) polished set of Scottish covers that meandered gently across the musical landscape of the past few decades.
As both indicated early on in proceedings the pair have an ability to lower the pace and chord structure of even the best of up-tempo melodies. Mistakes were admitted but were probably never recognised as such as the pair demonstrated why everyone in the audience had arrived early to listen to them.
As much as the music was the focal point of interest, the on-stage banter was as much part of the entertainment as anything else.
Covers of titles by Donovan, Edwyn Collins, Simple Minds, Marmalade and a rousing singalong of Scotland’s biggest selling single Shang A Lang were the immediate highlights for the crowd.
Two stars of the Scottish scene, a microphone, a keyboard and a laptop. What more could you ask for the first half of the double header?
As The Cowboy Mouth took to the stage, there was genuine warmth and appreciation for the ‘support’ act. It’s easy to offer such platitudes when you are also, as Grahame Skinner is, the lead singer and acoustic guitarist for The Cowboy Mouth.
The Cowboy Mouth have a history stretching back to the early to mid-1990s when they released the album My Life As A Dog. I can recall seeing them at The Tramway, a short walk from The Glad Café as they performed with both The Bathers and Sugartown. A gig that has remained one of my own personal highlights as it opened up doors to so many bands that I’ve grown to appreciate and even follow. Who would have thought thirty years on I’d be listening to the band playing songs from mor recent times but with the same intensity as that first occasion.
I’m led to believe that wine and whisky each mature by age and there can be no doubting that The Cowboy Mouth continue to age well while writing catchy, heartfelt songs along the way. While the focus remains on Grahame Skinner and lead guitarist Douglas MacIntyre, the sound is based around the solid rhythm section provided by Laughlin Allan on bass and Douglas Hannah on drums.
There’s an innate chemistry between them though teamwork seemed to break down as first both Douglas’s and then Laughlin gave in to the stifling heat and disposed of the matching black jackets. The lead singer was piqued by their actions and manfully played on with his stylish jacket making him stand out even more.
There was plenty of banter. It was a relaxed atmosphere. It was a carefree performance which was never less than a perfect demonstration of how talented musicians can make an audience feel as if they are witnessing something special.
Having sat through 180 plus minutes at Hampden, when there was little time to enjoy the proceedings playing out in front of me and 50,000+ fans, it was a genuine pleasure to spend less than half of that time watching people give it all and make everyone leave with an extra spring in their step.
The Golden Tree. The Cowboy Mouth. Thanks again.
