Eddi Reader Queen's Hall Queen's Hall 26th April 2024 Review
Eddi Reader was at the Queen’s Hall Edinburgh tonight and as always for one of her concerts here, the venue was pretty much sold out. No surprises there of course as with a career that has spanned some 40 years as a live performer, and studio recording artist (amongst many other achievements), Eddi Reader is one of those few and very special performers that have found a special place in the hearts of their audiences. With Eddi that division between on stage performer and audience members seems to have vanished and both are now simply “old friends” out for a night out together.
Starting with a tribute to the memory of an old cat from the 9th century called "Pangur Bán", recorded for posterity by an Irish monk, that let Eddi set the tone for much that was to follow from her this evening, songs of fun, life, laughter and often a lot of humour.
2024 is going to be a very busy year for Eddi Reader as, after a break of 35 years, all four original members of the band Fairground Attraction have re-united for a tour of Japan and the UK plus the release of a new album “Beautiful Happening”. More than appropriate then that tonight Eddi performed those now classic 1980s songs from the band, “Find My Love”, “Fairground Attraction” and of course “Perfect”. If anyone ever needs reminded of just what a gifted songwriter Mark Nevin is and how his creativity in the band made their work stand out from so many other songs written at the time, then just listen to the stories that these songs tell and how they have not only survived the test of time, but somehow got even better. Tonight though, the spirit of Elvis Presley came into “Perfect” via Maryhill, Glasgow, to make his presence felt in Eddi’s affectionate tribute to the memories of family and friends that are so important to her and who all helped in some way to form so much of the person that we now all know so well on stage.
If Eddi Reader has created one special place for her voice and music which few (if any) performers at the moment are coming even anywhere close to, it is with her interpretation of the works of Robert Burns. The words of Robert Burns are obviously more than just words to Eddi Reader, they are an endless source of inspiration and for her they capture, much in the way that we would now do with a photograph, the very people and the life that Burns knew in his lifetime. Somehow he managed to not only eloquently put into verse his observations, but so often do it with humour and when singing tonight “My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose” or “Charlie is My Darlin”, Eddi Reader breathes not only life back into his words, but also whilst doing so brings those people on stage with her too. As always too, Eddi’s performance of “Ae Fond Kiss” is, to quote the title of another song, just “Perfect”.
That sense of fun and just enjoying the music was also obviously shared by the band tonight which consisted of John Douglas, Kevin McGuire, Alan Kelly and Boo Hewerdine. Good too to hear Boo Hewerdine perform “Patience of Angels”, a song which he wrote and later became a big chart success for Eddi Reader.
Eddi Reader is also a natural story teller, and I am sure that audiences would happily just come and listen to a whole evening of them, and there were some wonderful little vignettes of her life here from the family home in Maryhill, busking and working as a session singer in the early years of her career, and general observations on people and life (Donald Trump being the razor sharp focus of some of them). In with this mixture of memories, observations and humour was a light hearted rendition of an old blues song from her busking days “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair”, a song made infamous by blues legend Bessie Smith.
Somehow Eddi Reader has managed a wonderful stage illusionist trick, and that is to take a venue like the Queen’s Hall and make everyone in it feel like they are back in her old family home in Maryhill at one of their seemingly endless sing-a-long nights, all paying their own tribute in some way to St Elvis of Presley along the way too.
Opening tonight’s show with a short 30 minute set on acoustic guitar , The Trashcan Sinatra’s group member, band member for tonight, and husband of Eddi Reader (as we all know from tonight’s song written for Eddi – “Wild Mountainside”) John Douglas and songs from his current solo album.
It is sometimes a little too easy to overlook just how important John has been to the music of Eddi Reader over the years and songs like “Lost”, “Maid of the Loch” and “I’m Not The Fella” clearly show that a gifted songwriter is at work here.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Starting with a tribute to the memory of an old cat from the 9th century called "Pangur Bán", recorded for posterity by an Irish monk, that let Eddi set the tone for much that was to follow from her this evening, songs of fun, life, laughter and often a lot of humour.
2024 is going to be a very busy year for Eddi Reader as, after a break of 35 years, all four original members of the band Fairground Attraction have re-united for a tour of Japan and the UK plus the release of a new album “Beautiful Happening”. More than appropriate then that tonight Eddi performed those now classic 1980s songs from the band, “Find My Love”, “Fairground Attraction” and of course “Perfect”. If anyone ever needs reminded of just what a gifted songwriter Mark Nevin is and how his creativity in the band made their work stand out from so many other songs written at the time, then just listen to the stories that these songs tell and how they have not only survived the test of time, but somehow got even better. Tonight though, the spirit of Elvis Presley came into “Perfect” via Maryhill, Glasgow, to make his presence felt in Eddi’s affectionate tribute to the memories of family and friends that are so important to her and who all helped in some way to form so much of the person that we now all know so well on stage.
If Eddi Reader has created one special place for her voice and music which few (if any) performers at the moment are coming even anywhere close to, it is with her interpretation of the works of Robert Burns. The words of Robert Burns are obviously more than just words to Eddi Reader, they are an endless source of inspiration and for her they capture, much in the way that we would now do with a photograph, the very people and the life that Burns knew in his lifetime. Somehow he managed to not only eloquently put into verse his observations, but so often do it with humour and when singing tonight “My Love Is Like A Red, Red Rose” or “Charlie is My Darlin”, Eddi Reader breathes not only life back into his words, but also whilst doing so brings those people on stage with her too. As always too, Eddi’s performance of “Ae Fond Kiss” is, to quote the title of another song, just “Perfect”.
That sense of fun and just enjoying the music was also obviously shared by the band tonight which consisted of John Douglas, Kevin McGuire, Alan Kelly and Boo Hewerdine. Good too to hear Boo Hewerdine perform “Patience of Angels”, a song which he wrote and later became a big chart success for Eddi Reader.
Eddi Reader is also a natural story teller, and I am sure that audiences would happily just come and listen to a whole evening of them, and there were some wonderful little vignettes of her life here from the family home in Maryhill, busking and working as a session singer in the early years of her career, and general observations on people and life (Donald Trump being the razor sharp focus of some of them). In with this mixture of memories, observations and humour was a light hearted rendition of an old blues song from her busking days “Send Me to the ‘Lectric Chair”, a song made infamous by blues legend Bessie Smith.
Somehow Eddi Reader has managed a wonderful stage illusionist trick, and that is to take a venue like the Queen’s Hall and make everyone in it feel like they are back in her old family home in Maryhill at one of their seemingly endless sing-a-long nights, all paying their own tribute in some way to St Elvis of Presley along the way too.
Opening tonight’s show with a short 30 minute set on acoustic guitar , The Trashcan Sinatra’s group member, band member for tonight, and husband of Eddi Reader (as we all know from tonight’s song written for Eddi – “Wild Mountainside”) John Douglas and songs from his current solo album.
It is sometimes a little too easy to overlook just how important John has been to the music of Eddi Reader over the years and songs like “Lost”, “Maid of the Loch” and “I’m Not The Fella” clearly show that a gifted songwriter is at work here.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
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