Gig review: Cerys Matthews / Harem Scarem

Published on Monday 26 January 2009 19:20

*** ABC, GLASGOW

STILL struggling to regain credibility after her 2007 appearance on I'm A Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here! and ensuing romance with former EastEnder Marc Bannerman, ex-Catatonia vocalist Cerys Matthews risked losing much of her Celtic Connections audience before she even came on – the support act finished early, but she nonetheless kept us waiting the full 40 minutes until her stated stage time. She then got on the way to winning everyone round, patchy though her performance was, but at the one-hour mark she announced the last number, a miserliness that the odd folk song grafted onto her set failed to outweigh.

There's no denying the extraordinary gymnastic powers of Matthews's voice, displayed in a variety of country-shaded cuts from her 2003 solo debut Cockahoop, and 2006's more rock-oriented successor, Never Say Goodbye.

The highlights happened when the songs matched the calibre of the delivery, as with the Velvets-esque Morning Sunshine, the Southern-gothic menace of Good in Goodbye, or the hauntingly fractured stream of consciousness captured in Salutations. More than once, though, the vocal fireworks didn't entirely succeed in concealing the lacklustre substance beneath.

The support act was Scottish female-led four-piece Harem Scarem, who showcased material from their new album, Storm in a Teacup.

Powerfully enhanced by extra accompaniment, their blend of self-penned folk/pop songs and artfully arranged tunes never sounded more confidently beguiling.