The music festival that’s all about connection
◆ Some great smaller shows sit alongside big curated events, writes Fiona Shepherd
Hannah Peel & Beibei Wang
Drygate, Glasgow
Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman
National Piping Centre, Glasgow
Jesca Hoop
Oran Mor, Glasgow
In its 30th birthday year, Celtic Connections is more about the latter half of its name than ever. Northern Ireland-based electronic composer Hannah Peel and London-based Chinese percussionist Beibei Wang were, according to Wang, on their “second date” at Drygate, testing the waters for creative compatibility – literally, in Wang’s case as she paddled her hands in a large bowl of water while Peel established a mournful electronic drone from her bank of wires and knobs.
Their set consisted of three entirely improvised pieces. There were certain guidelines – it is a date after all – but those boundaries were quickly breached as the duo fell deep into their musical conversation. Wang, in particular, has much to improvise with. Her percussive armoury, miked up to the max, and her focussed performance provided the visual as much as audio stimulation in the set-up. Her percussive pitterpatter became more frenzied as Peel’s electronics increased in velocity.
As the latest winter storm whipped up outside the venue, their final piece incorporated a Chinese poem about rain, suitably soundtracked with droplets of xylophone, floating gourds and a submerged cowbell. This was a playful dialogue, as if the duo were daring each other in audacity. Presumably there will be a third date.
The opening set from The Other was a sonic smorgasbord of a different style with querulous woodwind, devotional ululation and Latino percussion emanating from an ensemble of international musicians, hailing from Iran, Brazil, Chile and Scotland, led by guitarist Iain Mackechnie and including harpist Esther Swift, singer Aref Ghorbani and saxophonist Matt Wright.
Swift and Ghorbani duetted on a wistful ballad in English and Farsi with everyone softly coalescing, Toumani Antics was inspired by Malian kora player Toumani Diabate and, best of all, a traditional Persian song, soulfully delivered by Ghorbani with plangent double bass, built to a snake-hipped groove.
There was none of that fancy stuff from Mark Radcliffe & David Boardman, just two blokes with guitars and a love of Everlys-style harmonies. Radcliffe, as we know, is “sort of in showbusiness” as a DJ and broadcaster, and his humorous introductions were as gentle and reassuring as the duo’s songs, mostly involving low stakes social comment such as exasperation with cafes or forward planning for funerals or celebrating simple pleasures such as Cheese and Beer.
Radcliffe joked that On The Town, about contentment with the quiet life, was their anti-born to Run. Yet he was prepared to live slightly dangerously in debuting a new song, Merchant City Divine Rain, written in the wee small stormy hours of the previous night, yet premiered fully formed with shades of Leonard Cohen and Simon & Garfunkel.
Over at Oran Mor on Burns Night, Jesca Hoop eschewed haggis to talk about elk testicles. This Californian musician has been to the wilderness to cook for hunters and returned to tell the tale in most alluring, intriguing style.
There was purity to her tone but devilment in her delivery as she etched out spindly, sonorous patterns on an electric guitar, all the better to foreground her bewitching vocals. Her esoteric tunes were elevated further by the harmonies of her wingwoman Rachel Rimmer – their voices so simpatico that it often sounded as if they were sharing or swapping notes to mess with us. Celtic Connections has many brilliant big, curated events, but this mesmeric performance showed you only need two voices and one guitar to create magic.
Opening act Michael & Michelle just happen to be Downton Abbey actors Michelle Dockery and Michael Fox, making thoroughly pleasant harmonic acoustic pop.
This was a playful dialogue, as if the duo were daring each other in audacity