The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Funny Fifers
Adam Smith Theatre, Kirkcaldy, May 18
If there’s one thing that East Neuk-based singer-songwriter James Yorkston has learned from his musical travels home and away over the years, it’s that “people are people”.
But when the 46-year-old father-oftwo is asked if having children has changed his view of the world, he admits he now wouldn’t consider staying away for longer than a fortnight – unless someone paid him “extraordinary amounts of money” to do so. “The kids are getting older now so I can Skype them, and that helps,” he says. “But I still feel it when I’m away. I was doing a show at the southern tip of India last year and you think, ‘this is bizarre, that I’ve travelled all the way from Cellardyke’.
“It just seems such a long distance away from my children and all I’m doing is singing silly wee songs. I enjoy travelling but really miss my children. It makes you think.”
The universal language of music will continue transcending boundaries in James Yorkston’s world. But next Friday he will face just an hour’s commute from Cellardyke to Kirkcaldy with the return of his highly popular, eclectic live music showcase, Tae Sup wi’ a Fifer – the first of three spring-summer shows.
Organised with support from Creative Scotland, the May 18 show features Ian McMillan – writer, broadcaster and presenter of BBC Radio 3’s The Verb; folk singer, songwriter and activist Grace Petrie, and Withered Hand – aka Dan Wilson – who is regarded as one of the finest voices of the Scottish alt-folk and indie scene.
This will be followed on June 16 by influential American alt-folk music legend Michael Hurley; comedian, actor and performance poet Phil Jupitus and unorthodox indie-pop/folk-noir artiste Siobhan Wilson.
The July 14 show will feature an ultra-rare performance by American experimental musician Carl Stone, performed in surround sound; the return of eloquent electronic folk-pop maestro The Pictish Trail, along with a performance by Irish Traveller Thomas McCarthy.
Tae Sup... began in 2015, when James was invited to curate some live music and spoken word nights for the Adam Smith Theatre.
It quickly developed a reputation for its quality, diverse line-ups and laid-back, welcoming nature. Diverse sets over the years have ranged from The Vaselines, Phil Selway (from Radiohead) and Scott Hutchison (Frightened Rabbit) to Steve Mason (Beta Band), Karine Polwart and old friend King Creosote.
As a fan of “stripped down” music and song writing, James, who started releasing records in 2001, is pleased with the way the largely “left of centre” event has slowly seen audiences develop.
www.taesup.co.uk