Global appeal sees eclectic mix lined up for city folk gigs

Published on Tuesday 2 September 2008 10:01

Leith Folk Club AUGUST may be over and the all the trucks, costumes and rainforests of endless flyers might well be a slowly receding memory, but that doesn't mean that September has to be colourless and drab, with "the nights fair drawin' in".

After all, the Festival, the Fringe, the Mela and the book festival were only ever the tip of the iceberg for entertainment in the Capital.

All year round, several hard working venues around Edinburgh supply its residents with theatre, dance and music of every flavour. The Fringe might be a sprawling mass of high energy, fast paced, eclectic entertainment, but the enlightened city isn't called the Athens of the North for nothing. Its apparently unquenchable multicultural tastes are catered for by a constant embarrassment of riches.

Every week, for example, the Leith Folk Club features performers, literally from all over the planet. In September alone, France, England, America and Scotland are represented, with music ranging from roots to traditional Scottish to folk-rock.

One of the more unusual acts to grace the club at its home in the Village pub in Leith, will be the oddly named Groanbox Boys. A trio of wildly talented multi-instrumentalists from North America and Canada, the band sound a little like a mixture of all the musicians on the soundtrack of O Brother Where Art Thou, Tom Waits and a whole village of African players.

Songs like Hobo Heaven, Long For Day and the outstanding Train Take My Pain all feature a bizarre assortment of instruments, from the conventional guitar, banjo and accordion, to the slightly unusual calabash – a West African percussion instrument – to the downright peculiar sounding homemade "freedom boot".

The trio – French American Cory Seznec, Michael Ward-Bergeman and Canadian Paul Clifford – travel the length and breadth of Britain regularly and the club leapt at the chance to rebook them for September 8 after their last stint in May. If tickets for this original group are still available, they won't be for long.

Another act with American leanings is the remarkable Angie Palmer.

Hailing from Preston in England originally, Palmer lives in France now, and her visit to Edinburgh on September 16 is a highly anticipated one. A Mercury Prize contender, her blend of folk, blues and country has even ended up on film soundtracks in the UK and her adopted home of France.

Compared to the likes of Joni Mitchell and Bob Dylan, the singer-songwriter has an impressive history and a hugely promising future. The club is justifiably proud to have scored a gig from her on her current UK tour.

The clue is in the name, but a Scottish folk club really ought to have some Scottish folk music and as usual there's plenty on offer this month. This evening sees Lori Watson, her brother Innes and accordionist Fiona Young playing under the name Rule Of Three.

Well seasoned despite their youth, the Borders siblings and their Fort William-based accomplice are well used to loftier and grander stages. Part of the reason they enjoy the Leith Folk Club is the sense of fun they bring with them. Not for nothing are they fondly known locally as "the giggles".

Allan Johnston and Tom Napper are weel kent faces around Scotland and far beyond. The idea of traditional and original material performed on, among other things, bouzouki and banjo might seem strange, but as countless audiences around the world have heard, it sounds superb.

Similarly, Edinburgh singer Gill Bowman is known far and wide, not only for her interpretations of Burns' songs, but also for her more modern and original repertoire. Selling out at festivals and performances around the globe. Her appearance on September 23 will show why.

Rounding out the month on the 30th is an all-star appearance by Blazing Fiddles' Bruce MacGregor, Burach accordionist Sandy Brechin and Anam guitarist Brian hEadhra. Rumour also has it that there might be a support act more familiar with much bigger stages in their career, opening for this already star-struck evening. Either way, it's no exaggeration to say that the month could hardly get a better finish to it.

It might be small, but no-one could argue that the Leith Folk Club doesn't think big.