Cottiers – 31 October
There’s something imposing about gigs taking place in former places of worship. At Cottiers, the archways, and what would have been the pulpit and focal point for the congregation, offer a backdrop that requires no special staging or backdrops.
Colin MacIntyre aka Mull Historical Society
It was in this setting that Colin MacIntyre, aka Mull Historical Society, took to the stage to deliver a set that meandered through his early albums, almost a greatest hits selection, punctuated by more recent songs together with a foretaste of his next album due for early 2026 release.
One man, an acoustic guitar, a story to tell about most songs as he introduced them, and a spot the ‘photograph’ connection in several tracks played along the way.
A casual, yet experienced performer providing the audience that sat in front of him with yet another reminder of how much he was regarded especially in the early years of this millennium when debut album Loss from 2001 and Us from 2003 were on auto repeat for many of us.
It would be fair to say that the audience profile in the main, were of a maturity that benefited from the tiered seating setup, but how many would have harked back to the days on the dance floor or the kitchen as they bobbed in time and sang along to tracks that are imbedded in their mind.
A great opening set which augurs well for a tour supporting his new album next year.
Sister John
Dressed in white, with Amanda McKeown donning a cape to set off the look, the band played their latest album, Don’t Worry It’s Forever, in order of the album’s track listing. After a few tracks it became clear that the concept was perfect, but the execution required constant changes of personnel on the various instruments on stage. Keyboards were interchanged with keyboards, lead guitar with drumsticks, drum sticks with fiddle bows.
While it looked awkward, it did showcase how multi-instrumentalist the band members are, and the songs played benefitted as a result.
Every song on the album has some personal connection, with the song titles themselves describing an emotional rollercoaster of grief and loss. Stylistically the music meanders from folk rock and Americana to out and out guitar based indie rock.
Last Night From Glasgow’s leading man Ian Smith has a long and established relationship with the band and there was genuine warmth when being introduced on stage by Ian, a warmth that was returned by the band on more than one occasion during their set.
If I was creating a playlist of Sister John songs from their four albums to date, it would veer towards the more rock-based tracks as the band showed how they can lift the tempo at the flick of a switch.
This was a showcase for the latest release though with the more acoustic numbers sharing the limelight and it was a showcase that delighted everyone in front of the band, from far and wide, us locals from Scotland but travellers and fans from Germany and New Zealand.
