Fringe 2024 Kim Edgar Songs of Hope Stockbridge Church 11th August Review
Kim Edgar: Songs of Hope at Stockbridge Church tonight was a one night only performance that was very different from any Fringe show that I have ever been at. This was a true community event by Kim and not a commercial one. In fact, this was a “pay what you can afford” evening of music that was simply Kim giving something back to the community, a message through songs that hope can, if you let it, be a very powerful force in society and help heal many wounds and give strength to people to survive times of difficulty in their lives.
Anyone who has been reading my reviews over the years knows that I am a big fan of Kim Edgar’s words and music. Kim is to me one of the finest songwriters that Scotland has produced in many years with a voice that has at times an ethereal and spiritual quality to it. It is always a pleasure to review any performance of Kim’s but tonight was a little bit special, a little bit different from other shows.
Stockbridge Church is for some unknown reason one of those places where you can actually feel this strange calmness in the church hall itself – it is an almost meditative space, and tonight the perfect one for Kim’s songs and her message of hope.
Kim Edgar has the skill to tackle difficult subjects and wrap them in deceptively beautiful lyrics, but those were not the songs for tonight. Kim also has the ability to often write songs that celebrate the joys of family, friendship and just being alive, and those were tonight’s songs, and “1,2,3,4,5”, “Anchor In The Sky”, and other songs by Kim were just perfect for this event.
This was not just an evening of Kim Edgar songs though as a very personal selection by her of other artists’ songs continued this message of hope. Included in this set list were songs by Carole King, Ron Sexmith, Everything But the Girl, John Farnham, to mention but a few.
If there is one thing that Kim Edgar enjoys as much as being on tour with her music, either on her own or with the band CARA, it is being out in the local community and helping people to connect with one another through music and songs. Kim loves choirs, their ability to bring people together to not only share the music but to share each other’s company, experiences and make new friendships. Choirs are more than just music, they often give people their first chance to sing with others, to even have their individual voices heard. They are also community self-help support groups and proof of the therapeutic nature of music and song.
It will be no surprise to learn then that the afternoon was spent with Kim running a choir workshop, and that that choir was on stage with her for roughly half of each set tonight. This was the real Kim Edgar, not just a musician on stage. Here was someone who clearly cares about people, cares about community and simply wanted to bring people together to share with her “Songs of Hope” in what is an increasingly troubled world.
Hope and our own humanity, caring for the person next to us whether we know them or not is the only thing that will truly break the ultimately futile cycle of war, hate, violence, poverty, and intolerance that seems to be growing at such an alarming pace across the world today. Music and Songs of Hope do not hold all of the answers to these problems, but they are as good a starting place as any.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com
Anyone who has been reading my reviews over the years knows that I am a big fan of Kim Edgar’s words and music. Kim is to me one of the finest songwriters that Scotland has produced in many years with a voice that has at times an ethereal and spiritual quality to it. It is always a pleasure to review any performance of Kim’s but tonight was a little bit special, a little bit different from other shows.
Stockbridge Church is for some unknown reason one of those places where you can actually feel this strange calmness in the church hall itself – it is an almost meditative space, and tonight the perfect one for Kim’s songs and her message of hope.
Kim Edgar has the skill to tackle difficult subjects and wrap them in deceptively beautiful lyrics, but those were not the songs for tonight. Kim also has the ability to often write songs that celebrate the joys of family, friendship and just being alive, and those were tonight’s songs, and “1,2,3,4,5”, “Anchor In The Sky”, and other songs by Kim were just perfect for this event.
This was not just an evening of Kim Edgar songs though as a very personal selection by her of other artists’ songs continued this message of hope. Included in this set list were songs by Carole King, Ron Sexmith, Everything But the Girl, John Farnham, to mention but a few.
If there is one thing that Kim Edgar enjoys as much as being on tour with her music, either on her own or with the band CARA, it is being out in the local community and helping people to connect with one another through music and songs. Kim loves choirs, their ability to bring people together to not only share the music but to share each other’s company, experiences and make new friendships. Choirs are more than just music, they often give people their first chance to sing with others, to even have their individual voices heard. They are also community self-help support groups and proof of the therapeutic nature of music and song.
It will be no surprise to learn then that the afternoon was spent with Kim running a choir workshop, and that that choir was on stage with her for roughly half of each set tonight. This was the real Kim Edgar, not just a musician on stage. Here was someone who clearly cares about people, cares about community and simply wanted to bring people together to share with her “Songs of Hope” in what is an increasingly troubled world.
Hope and our own humanity, caring for the person next to us whether we know them or not is the only thing that will truly break the ultimately futile cycle of war, hate, violence, poverty, and intolerance that seems to be growing at such an alarming pace across the world today. Music and Songs of Hope do not hold all of the answers to these problems, but they are as good a starting place as any.
Review by Tom King © 2024
www.artsreviewsedinburgh.com