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A veritable feast was in store with the first (let’s hope of many) Music Mule night in association with Electroacoustic Club and Kruger Labs. First on the menu tonight is the saucy, sultry yet sinister soup that is Shona Foster.  Kate Bush is an obvious influence here or perhaps a stripped back Nick Cave & The Badseeds. Her voice is powerful yet controlled with the minimal, at times fairytale inspired, instrumentation complementing her vocals perfectly.  This mix of quirkiness with dark undertones puts me in mind of a Tim Burton directed version of Little Red Riding Hood.  Not at all a bad way to start an evening.  My appetite has been whet.

Next up, the entré. Magic Arm is a one man music/beat making machine.  Loop pedals abound not to mention a keyboard that looks like it could have belonged to Fred and Wilma Flintstone.  His music is a mix of unusual melodies and beats that, on first listen feel as though they shouldn’t fit together but yet somehow do and sound brilliant for it.  Although not exactly a gremlin free set, the show presented allows all in the way of interruptions to be forgiven with the inventive, minimal and highly intriguing cover of Daft Punk’s Playing At My House proving a highlight.

Now set menus don’t normally bode well with me, but so far the selection has been mouth watering and I can’t wait for the main course.  As Stornoway grace the stage one can’t help but drool with anticipation.  They certainly look the part but looks can often be deceiving.  Set opener, Fuel Up, however allays all my fears.  The genuine, clearly decipherable lyrics take you on a rose-tinted and nostalgic journey through your own past, the past of the band members, the past of the people standing next to you, the past of the people working at the bar, and reminds us that ‘…there’s no rewind so you might as well play while your time is passing you by.’  A perfect opening number to establish the tone for their performance – it’s almost as if they are giving us permission to leave our emotional baggage at the door and just enjoy the music for what it is.

The set continues with additional band members slowly trickling onto the stage.  A violin is brought into the mix, then a double bass, then a banjo and, lest I forget, the inclusion of some vocal melodies that can only be described as gorgeous. Stornoway have been likened to the Fleet Foxes but there is something that makes them stand out from this, all of a sudden, over killed genre.  Their distinct Britishness breathes new life into this dying, severely beaten horse.  The embrace of British as opposed to American folk traditions gives them an edge that recalls a stoned and philosophical version of the Pogues.

Additional highlights include Battery Human, a banjo driven, vocally chanted ditty, and album single Zorbing, a life affirming, highly addictive tune set apart with the inclusion of an impeccably employed trumpet. Stornoway manage to give each number a life of its own meaning their songs have great potential for future playlists, be they radio or purely personal.

All in all I leave the venue thoroughly satiated.  My hunger for a taste of some quality, live, local music for a Thursday night has been satisfied and I feel no desire to top up at the local chicken shop on the way home.

Lee Hutchison

mp3: Stornoway – Fuel Up