Gig review: Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan

ON THE kitsch country & western stage set of Glasgow's Grand Ole Opry club, Isobel Campbell played the pretty girl in a frilly dress while the gruff Mark Lanegan inhabited the indie Rooster Cogburn role. But Campbell is the one with true grit. This multitalented, multitasking, multi-instrumentalist is the creative driver of a fertile transatlantic partnership which has extended over five years and three albums.

In addition to her writing/arranging/singing duties, Campbell helmed the toybox of percussion instruments and drew a burst of applause for her whistling skills. Meanwhile, Lanegan dropped by to sing some. But he is effectively Campbell's muse – without him, her sophisticated pastiche of country, folk and blues would sound sugary and insubstantial.

Much of the set was drawn from their third and arguably finest collaboration, Hawk, traversing the gossamer wistfulness of We Die And See Beauty Reign, the hurts-so-good Come Undone and the whimsical Christmas blues of Time Of The Season.

Lanegan was taciturn to a fault – "say something Mark," pleaded one heckler – but he sang with great eloquence, reserving his most dolorous yet tender drawl for The Circus Is Leaving Town. Elsewhere, they sizzled on Back Burner and the sassy, sultry Come On Over (Turn Me On) drew visceral whoops from the audience.