Gig review: Benni Hemm Hemm

Benni Hemm HemmPilrig St Paul's Church, Edinburgh ****

AFTER three years in Scotland, Benni Hemm Hemm frontman Benedikt H Hermannsson is returning to his native Iceland. So friends and collaborators assembled for this farewell gig, an eclectic line-up that ranged from the raucous garage of The Pineapple Chunks to the whimsical folk of Emily Scott, with guest players slotting in and out of various outfits.

The Chunks have a raw, committed intensity and shambolic charm that occasionally obscures the tunes, messing up their opening song but permitting drummer Owen Williams to deliver a godawful Arnold Schwarzenegger joke between numbers, their track Man Love reflecting the affection in the room for Hermannsson.

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Scott, on the ukulele, with her string trio, offered a more downbeat, ethereal sound, with a lilting set and insight into her forthcoming album I Write Letters I Never Send.

The Second Hand Marching Band, with something approaching 20 members on stage, opened with Cling On To Ones You Love, the swell of their united voices resounding through the church hall. Their appetite for the anthemic and orchestral power calls The Arcade Fire to mind, though there's a quintessentially Scottish flavour to their acoustic folk inflections.

Dan Willson, aka Withered Hand, has a mournfully reflective air but writes memorable lyrics and can truly move on the tremulous Providence or the excellent Inbetweens.

Finally, the guest of honour, Hermannsson, responded to the occasion, his earnestly plaintive tunes – from the heartfelt Blood of My Blood to the wistful Northern Morning Light – indicative of a sad parting.