The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Kim Edgar at Dundee Acoustic Music Club
Roseangle Cafe, Dundee, June 18
She’s been described as Scotland’s very own Tori Amos, and a crafter of songs which are a “comfort blanket for the disillusioned soul”.
Leith-based Kim Edgar performs solo on piano, acoustic guitar and voice, tackling topics such as abandonment, concealment and sexual politics. Her intensity and intimacy in performance have earned her five star reviews.
Ahead of her gig at the Dundee Acoustic Club on Sunday, Kim says she’s a big fan of Tayside audiences.
“It’s been several years since I’ve played in Dundee and I’m really looking forward to it,” she says.
“I love the humour and the banter at gigs, and heckles are welcome!
“I’ve never performed at the Dundee Acoustic Music Club before, but I’ve heard so many great things about it.”
Her latest tour is promoting her third solo album, Stories Untold, following the success of her critically acclaimed 2012 album, The Ornate Lie.
A member of pan-European folk band, Cara, Kim tours extensively through Europe, and has, as a member of genre-hopping collective The Burns Unit, performed at Cambridge Folk Festival, on Later...With Jools Holland, and for HRH The Queen at the opening of the Scottish Parliament’s fourth session, with bandmate Karine Polwart.
“I feel privileged to be able to travel through my music, to explore new places, and connect with people who make and appreciate music,” she adds.
But despite her globetrotting, Kim’s music has deep roots in Scotland. Paolo Nutini performed one of her songs –1, 2, 3, 4, 5 – with Karine Polwart (who co-wrote it) on BBC Scotland’s Hogmanay Show.
Another career highlight came when BIG Project Youth Choir, which Kim leads, sang O Flower Of Scotland for the London 2012 Olympic Opening Ceremony. She also performed live on BBC Children in Need with Gareth Malone.
Despite playing to such huge audiences, Kim describes herself as “pretty shy”.
“I started performing music as a way of blending into the background, and avoiding people – but I’m now happiest in the spotlight, at the piano, and find it immensely satisfying to write and perform songs where I can articulate my joy in, my hopes for, and my concerns about the world around me,” she says.
“I had classical piano lessons from an amazing woman called Mary Newlands for many years, and studied English language and literature at university, focusing on horror, fairy tales, feminism and social history. I think these things seep into the songs I write.
“I’m trying to carve out a life for myself, doing things that make me happy and that I think are worthwhile.”