Blue Rose Code, "Bright Circumstances Tour, Part 2", Tolbooth, Stirling. Wednesday 6th November, 2024

 

I wasn't in the mood for this gig tonight. My plan had been to travel from and to the cabin, but circumstances got in the way of that, so I faced a longer-than-expected journey to a venue I'd never been to before. At least it was dry. 

My sat nav successfully directed me to my usual Stirling car park at Forthside, and then I used Google Maps to direct me on foot to the venue. I still managed to walk past it. Upon arrival, with my ticket down as 'Box Office Collection', I provided my details and received an ink stamp on the back of my hand. I had a couple of minutes before the doors opened at 7.30 pm, so I went to the loo and then faced a handwashing dilemma. How do you wash them properly without removing the stamp? I figured I wouldn't be shaking hands with anyone anyway, so I chose to perform a cursory splash (I did give them a proper wash when I got home). 

By the time I went upstairs, the raked-seated auditorium was already reasonably packed for this sell-out gig. They must have opened the door early because I don't think the Grey Brigade, who were out in force, could have filled that many seats so comfortably in so short a time. I don't know if Ross's audience now skews older or if it was a midweek Stirling thing, but everyone was pleasant and polite, even the few clutching their plastic-cupped pints. 

Ross and his band came on at 8 p.m. and performed two sets. The saxophonist and drummer departed the stage occasionally for the acoustic numbers, leaving Ross and his talented guitarist to strum their way through a few songs I didn't know. I still wasn't feeling the vibe and considered making an exit, but the drive was too long to abort this early. 

Then, he told us of his estranged mother's passing earlier this year. He didn't go into detail, preferring to describe how he believes songs can take on new meaning as life events unfold before performing 'Sadie', which he dedicated to his mum. The depth of feeling in the lyrics touched me, and I knew I wasn't going home early.

I did feel he murdered his cover of the Norah Jones song "Come Away With Me", his vocal style not suiting the breathy beauty of the original.

Ross constantly moves while he performs. He can't help himself, whether shaking his head in front of the microphone or dancing with his acoustic guitar. I wish he would employ more stillness to enhance his performance. His lyrics are so soulful they deserve to be the focus sometimes. 

I'm glad I stayed. The last few songs were pure BRC bangers. His tribute to his best mate, "Now the Big Man has Gone On," packed an emotional punch, ending with a recording of his answerphone message to Ross.  

The walk back to the car was quiet except for one pedestrian area, which was packed with students in fancy dress. I overheard one conversation between a tall, skinny girl dressed in leather and lace and her casually attired boyfriend. She asked him if he was upset with her costume, and he bluntly replied, "Yes." I could see why, but I tried not to stare. It did look like he'd employed her services for the night, but mainly because he hadn't made an effort. 

On a positive note, I only missed one easily corrected turn on the long drive home.

Setlist:
TBC.
(I tried to take a picture of the handwritten setlist, but the lighting was too poor)

Red Kites

Grateful

Ticket Price: £24 (advance inc fees) from box office stirling.gov.uk.

Blue Rose Code, Alexander Wilson Suite, Paisley Town Hall. Fri 21st Dec 2018

While a few of my friends nipped along to the Barrowland to sample some old school Big Country and The Skids, I instead plumped for something quieter at Paisley Town Hall. I was a bit surprised to get parked so easily close to the venue until I discovered the gig wasn't in the main hall but instead upstairs in one of the smaller rooms.

It wasn't the kind of gig to take pictures so I'll do my best to describe it.

The ambience in the Alexander Wilson Suite was cosy but refined. Seats in rows of six on either side of the long room provided a capacity for around two hundred people. Most were taken up by a mainly mature audience with only a few empty ones near the back. The cold night was kept at bay by grilled radiators inset in the walls distributing warm air to the room. Dangling from the ornate ceiling, massive brass chandeliers conjured an image of mutant-legged spiders holding up dim, electric candles, some of which weren't lit, casting a soft glow on the audience below. Two spotlights, one on either side of the slightly raised stage, were accompanied by a couple of coloured uplighters, providing a pink tinge on the back wall and, as the musicians moved forward or back, creating bluey shadows, which stretched and shrank behind them.

Guitarist Lyle Watt was tonight's support act playing around twenty minutes of his instrumental compositions. He's a highly talented plucker, good enough for me to pop to the merch table to purchase his CD EP.

When it was time for Ross Wilson, aka Blue Rose Code, to take the stage he kept it simple, with just him and two band members on stage, the aforementioned Lyle on guitar and someone called Andy on keyboards. All three were bearded and in jumpers, Ross wearing a ribbed brown affair with a round neckline. Ross's hair was short and shaved, the others long but tied back.

Ross played acoustic guitar too and the sound generated by the band was beautiful and clear. The musicianship from all three was exquisite and tight and my only complaint would be that some of Ross' chat between songs was too conversational and a bit unclear at times. Talk into the mike, mate.

Unusually for a Paisley crowd on a Friday night, the audience was respectful and quiet, with only a few making excuses to visit the bar or toilet. At the end, the band got a standing ovation.

For those of you not versed in BRC's music, I would describe it as music to encapsulate the spirit of waking from a cosy night's sleep on a sunny Sunday morning with a view outside of a Scottish beach, the Atlantic waves gently lap against the shore. In the press, it's been described as 'Caledonia Soul'. It's certainly more than just folk music.

Even if I didn't end up rocking 'Into the Valley' tonight 'In a Big Country', I got to enjoy a cultured evening of beautiful, lyrical Scottish music. Cheers, Ross.

(He was much better tonight than the last time I saw him, at Saint Lukes).