By the time Gabriel & the Hounds take to the stage tonight the tiny room is packed, this is the American duo’s first ever trip to Scotland and they woo the crowd straight away by making it clear they know the difference between the United Kingdom and England, which cheers the audience up no end.
Their indie pop is a perfect mixture of deep vocals and cheery melodies, and with Gabriel admitting the tunes have a really personal angle the whole crowd seem closer together somehow.
Up next are The Deep Darks Woods, a Canadian quintet who are also gracing Scotland with their presence for the first time.
The indie folk group play a fairly short set, but their solemn folk ballads such as ‘The Place I Left Behind’ off their latest album, in which the influence of their hometown of Saskatoon plays an important role, go down really well with the listeners.
The set also includes a couple of more upbeat tunes and these and the moving instrumentals which accompany them give the crowd a bit of a boost from the melancholy which could otherwise prevail.
The penultimate act of the night is Rae Morris, a young singer/songwriter from Blackpool who accompanies herself on piano.
Between songs Rae is shy, retiring and eternally grateful for the audiences support, but all that changes as soon as she begins to play.
Her powerful voice keeps its north-English accent, adding to the charm of her performance which includes bubbly tunes such as ‘Hard to Forget’ and beautiful, profound ones like ‘For You’.
Her final song, ‘Walls’, has minimal piano complementing it, allowing her unique voice to reverberate around the basement.
Finally comes Glasgow’s own Tommy Reilly, who remarks with regret that in tonight’s very international affair he cannot claim to be from somewhere more exotic.
This fails to discourage the crowd, however, who are clearly thrilled to see the homebred singer-songwriter perform.
His set is the perfect way to top off the evening, with a couple of nice, slow tunes offset by some upbeat ones that get some of the crowd bobbing around.
A cover of Ryan Adam’s ‘Sweet Carolina’ also goes down a treat, which Tommy’s Glasgow accent really doing it justice.
Tonight’s performances are both movingly personal and humorous, a perfect combination that keeps the crowd entertained throughout.
Words: Katherine Haig
