Gut Reactions (post-gig memories and other trips): Nina Nesbitt, The Old Fruitmarket, Glasgow. Friday 18th October, 2024.

A busy, wet Friday night in Glasgow meant me driving around the city centre looking for somewhere free to park, finding the only empty parking spaces reserved for the disabled. Frustratingly, there were places with single yellow lines, which would have been available except for the signs indicating parking was suspended. It was only after doing a couple of circuits that I noticed the dates on the signs had already passed, so I managed to stop on a street near the venue.

I joined the queue waiting in the rain outside the venue, bodies pressed against the building to keep dry for those of us without umbrellas. The staff let us in early, and we formed two lines inside the venue in front of each of the doors. I joined the second queue, skipping further ahead than I had been outside. My smugness was punctured when the staff then only opened the other door, that line flowing in while we stood exasperated at being left behind. Eventually, the staff apologised and told us to go in too.

Not a good start, but I still managed to find a place near the front without any really tall people ahead of me. I had a clear view of the central microphone. Beside me on my left was a father with his young girl, who could only have been about fourteen. The bubbly redhead on my right was with her two friends. She must have taken about forty selfies of herself before thinking about including her friends. Oh, to be young and beautiful! Ahead of me, many of the crowd had tote bags and lanyards: the VIPs who had paid extra for a preshow meet and greet, and access to the soundcheck.

The first support act was Kerr Mercer. A Glasgow lad, he sang mournful ballads akin to Lewis Capaldi, acknowledging his set was full of them. He played one cover, Paolo Nutini's Last Request, and did it justice. His confidence on stage was palpable, disclosing, although he hadn't yet released any material, he'd already headlined at King Tut's, SWG3 and St Luke's and was next due to play at The Garage. Not bad for a homegrown talent.

Next up was Inverness lassie Katie Gregson-MacLeod. Adept on the keyboards and guitar, she, too, played a set of personal songs about relationships and heartbreak. She admitted she would change the names when recording the songs, but she hadn't done so yet, so we were getting an exclusive dose of her reality. She'd used her phone to act as a timer so she didn't overrun her set. During her last song, she realised she hadn't switched off the alarm noise and had a fit of the giggles when it went off, sharing the joke with us by holding her phone to the microphone. "Dring, dring, dring". She, too, is coming back to Glasgow later in the year, but the show hasn't been announced officially yet, so she couldn't tell us about it.

Unusually, the father and daughter left their spot before Nina came on. I figured the young girl didn't want to find the Ladies on her own, so her dad went with her. Next, I saw two staff members rushing an unconscious small person horizontally backstage, the father right behind them. She must have fainted. Such a shame.

On Nina's last tour, I felt the show lacked balance, a series of ballads that sounded beautiful but didn't energise the audience. Fortunately, with Mountain Music (her new album), she has recognised this by writing a number of faster numbers, and this benefitted tonight's set. Her confidence has grown, too, and she talked more between numbers, explaining how the songs came to be and what they meant to her.

I did wonder about the set dressing, specifically the backdrop. Three jumpers and one dress hung from coat hangers on the curtain. Had they run out of room in the dressing room, or had they got wet on the way into the gig and left there to drip dry? Their presence was never explained.

The show wasn't as exciting as Seb Lowe the previous night, but music can serve different needs at different times. This was more about beautiful harmonies and personal lyrics. Despite being a self-confessed introvert, she knows how to engage with her audience. I enjoyed myself.

The merch stall was too busy to see anything, so I bypassed it and went home. Only later did I realise I'd also bought her CD along with the ticket. I'm now onto Ticketmaster to check if there is a way to still get it (not that I need it, given I can stream the album).

Setlist

The Apple Tree

Pages

On The Run

Anger

Painkiller

Treachery

Hard Times

Big Things, Small Town (included an extra verse about Glasgow)

Mansion

Parachute

Encore: