Live Review: Ignite #004 starring Cara Rose, BETA WAVES, November Lights and Walt Disco at Glasgow St. Luke’s Church – 27th of November 2018
In the ‘dear green place’ live some very dear friends, so it’s no surprise I found myself the day after my birthday at a gig in a church. A “delightful church renovation habit” seems to be a ‘thing’ in Glasgow (see Oran Mor for probably the most feted). St. Luke’s in particular is pretty cool, as it’s adjacent to the Winged Ox bar, named for the fanciful creature the saint has been portrayed as in art. I’d been in here once before, its American feel oddly welcoming. This show was particularly special as it was the fourth in a series of them put on by the artist development project Ignite Scotland funded by Help Musicians UK and PRS Foundation. It was explained to me that acts chosen for these shows are some of Scotland’s best up-and-comers.
In Buchanan yellow tartan, Glaswegian blonde chanteuse Cara Rose (surname Dickson) opened the night with her soulful vocals. Her voice only accompanied by keyboard, the performance recalled the poppier vibes of Adele and the late Amy Winehouse. Turns out that Winehouse, along with Lianne La Havas and Lauryn Hill, are named on her Facebook as her primary influences. ‘No Safe Place’ is “an older song” Rose wrote about the plight of Syrian refugees. As Dickson notes in a sad tone, the sentiment is still as apt as when she first wrote it. Below is an amateur-shot video of the song being performed at St. Luke’s back in August.
‘Ready to Fall’ was a set standout, the staccatoing notes on the keyboard adding a touch of the dramatic while she showed off her impressive vocal range and control. Still, every young girl aspiring to be a singer wants to be the next Adele. Can she set herself apart from the rest of the pack? I’ll be keen on hearing more from her as she progresses.
On paper and if judged solely by their stage setup alone, Dundonian duo (say that five times fast) BETA WAVES seemed made for me. Don’t get me wrong: the programmed beats and those played were indeed catchy, providing a needed energetic boost after Cara Rose’s set. I found their New Wave-leaning backing mesmerising. However, I felt the singer/guitarist’s vocals weren’t forceful or bright enough to stand up to the instrumentation.
‘Another Mad Crab’ (DIY promo video above) is their latest and final single to be released this year, and I wish it just had a bit more oomph both live and on recording. Previous single ‘Love Love Love’ fares better live, with a disco beat that’s head-bop worthy and a bit more life vocally. Soldiering on after a delay in start due to a wonky second-hand Macbook, I admire how they didn’t let the technical difficulties faze them.
Glasgow via Ayrshire duo November Lights, augmented live by two additional band members, appear to be fully formed. I’m sure it must have taken a lot of time and effort to get to this place, but I had to admit I stood there wondering to myself why they haven’t been featured on BBC Radio 1 yet. The story goes that frontman and keyboardist James Hopkins was a solo artist initially, then tapped friends to put together a band to move forward with his musical vision. The American pop influence is palpable, with Hopkins having a Brandon Flowers’ like presence and charisma.
The anthemic feel of their music bears striking resemblance to the TGTF-tipped Kodaline (check out ‘Talk’ below) and The 1975. Hopkins’ energy as he busted out the dance moves on ‘Pray’ and their other uptempo tunes kept things lively; he looks remarkably like a young Ed Macfarlane from Friendly Fires. I’m expecting to wake up tomorrow and find out they’ve been signed to a major. I guess you gotta just watch this space.
The band chosen to close the Ignite Scotland show were Glasgow via Perth band Walt Disco, whose name I’m assuming is a Scottish pun on the Mickey Mouse creator. Lead singer James Potter has a theatrical, at times yelpy, at times warbly voice like David Bowie’s (see ‘Sling’ below). Bowie’s influence seems to have seeped into the band’s stage attire, which is proudly androgynous and eclectic. Seriously, how many musicians have you seen walking around with a crushed velvet shirt and golfing trousers?
With squealing guitars and a rhythm section much more muscular than that of the preceding acts, they were a welcome kick in the arse ending. While their off-kilter jangly guitar rock weren’t my cup of tea, I can totally see those looking for something different and willing to break out of the usual genre boxes to enjoy them. I went to a similar kind of young emerging acts’ night this time last year in York and in comparison, this night in Glasgow felt far more electric and better organised. I reckon it speaks to the level of talent and quality of acts that Ignite Scotland can put together a weeknight show like this and have a good turnout.
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