Frost and Fire

Now that I fancy myself as a media mogul – the fall of News International has left a Vile Arts shaped hole in the multinational corporation world – I have become fascinated by music again. Something I considered lost after I bust my eardrum at that Boredoms’ gig has now become as relevant as Facebook stalking.

A brief flirtation at Latitude with Paolo Nuntini reminded me that the mainstream wasn’t much help: songs about how new shoes make everything okay are really for the under-fives. Luckily, I live in Glasgow, where a thirteen band line-up for a fiver is never more than a week away.

My love for RM Hubbert, Cry Parrot and Tattie Toes isn’t simply a matter of them being generous enough to turn up on Subcity for me: there seems to be a genuine renaissance in Glasgow music. The younger generation have embraced the DIY art-school cross-over like the characters in Social Sculpture, and the old boys – people my age – are finding new ways to play.

Frost and Fire happened upstairs at The Citizens. I’m hoping they’ll eventually make it to the main auditorium, and not just for the comfortable seats. Curated by Howie from Tattie Toes – who is also involved with TAG theatre company – it featured local vocal superstar Wounded Knee, Jarvis Cocker approved harpist Serafina Steer, the cheeky chappy of acoustic rock’n’roll Keith John Adams and Chinese multi-instrumentalist Marion Kenny, who got Hubbert up for a beautiful spot of string-on-string action. From the moment Reeve led an acapella invocation to spring, the evening was equal parts refreshing relaxation and musical imagination.

Steer was the headliner, but by the time she arrived, the audience had already been seduced into enjoying a laid-back, unpretentious take on folk and experimental music. Wounded Knee gigs are always special: he never seems to do the same thing twice. Using a backing track – well, cassette loop – allegedly from his grandad’s doo-wop outfit, he took a jaunty stroll around the voice that made the link between American soul and UK folk. Pointing out that “all music is soul music”, he invested Scottish traditional lyrics with the passion of a US gospel preacher. Intelligent, experimental and fun. Apparently, music doesn’t have to break my delicate ears to be provocative.

Marion Kenny’s obvious respect for her instruments’ tradition made her set a quick tour of Chinese music. Being utterly ignorant, I am not sure whether it comes from a folk or classical heritage: regardless, it is haunting and paints pictures of places I have never seen, but would love to visit. A fine come-down after Adams acoustic guitar rock’n’roll, which carried the energy of a four piece band on the back of Adam’s wild carry-on. For a moment, he recreated the thrill of early rock’n’roll before Kenny bathed us in beauty.

Steer is going to be one of those left-field singer-song writers who use an unexpected instrument to get to the heart, before addressing it with thoughtful, charming lyrics. She is not just another quirky dame with a big object between her legs: she is as charming as her songs suggest, making even her embarrassed pauses part of an authentic performance.

Frost and Fire is the sound of experimentalists growing older without losing their edge: dropping the noise, which is fun, and replacing it with a mellow sincerity. If Howie Reeve keeps on like this, he’ss soon be bridging that gap between theatre and music audiences. He’s Growing Audiences, the holy grail of arts organisations. Luckily, he, and his artists, are growing their souls at the same time.